School container for Lichtenberg: 144 places in Neu-Hohenschönhausen by 2027!

School container for Lichtenberg: 144 places in Neu-Hohenschönhausen by 2027!

On September 9, 2025, the Lichtenberg district office made a decisive decision to use unused school containers at a meeting. These containers, which are currently located on Salzmannstrasse, are to be moved to Seehausener Strasse in Berlin-Neu-Hohenschönhausen. The aim of this measure is to cushion the existing school place deficit in the region, which has become increasingly urgent in recent years. Sandy Mattes, District Councilor for Schools and Sport (SPD), emphasized the urgent need for school places, especially in the northern part of the district.

The containers offer space for a total of 144 students and are scheduled to go into use after the planned commissioning in the first half of 2027. Financing is provided by funds from the Growing City Infrastructure special fund (SIWA). This financial support results from an incendiary letter to the Senate Department for Education, Youth and Family to draw attention to the grievances in the school sector.

Background of the decision

The decision to relocate the school containers was made based on a comprehensive examination of possible locations. However, it is not possible for the containers to remain in Salzmannstrasse long-term because the property owner HOWOGE Wohnungsbau has other plans for the site. The area was previously used to accommodate the Seepark primary school, which has now moved to a new building on Blockdammweg.

The issue of the unused school places on Salzmannstrasse was already addressed on January 27, 2025 by the ALLIANCE 90/THE GREENS parliamentary group at the first district council meeting (BVV) of the year. In an application they called for the use of the school containers, which were empty at the time, even though the need for school places was urgent. They also criticized the district office and district mayor Martin Schaefer (CDU) for their inaction regarding the unused spaces.

The BVV had already passed a resolution in September 2022 that provided for measures to secure the property. But to this day there has been no response from the district office.

Lack of school places in Berlin

The discussion about school place provision is particularly acute in Berlin. There is currently a shortage of around 27,000 school places in the city, despite an increasing number of students, which has now reached over 404,000. This is the highest number in 25 years. Education Senator Katharina Günther-Wünsch emphasizes that expanding school places and improving the quality of education are top priorities. She plans to take various measures to combat the shortage of teachers, including accelerating civil service.

Adding to the challenges is the fact that around 700 full-time teachers are missing from the system. The newly launched initiatives, such as the “reading tape” and the planned introduction of a “math tape” in the 2025/26 school year, are intended to help increase educational quality.

The different political approaches and the increasing pressure on the educational infrastructure in Berlin clearly show that there is an urgent need for action. The relocation of the school containers to Seehausener Straße, even if it is only a small step, could be seen as a timely attempt to address the shortage of school places.

For further details on the topics addressed, see the articles from Berlin.de, Green Group Lichtenberg and taz helpful.