German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s wife said that she is stepping down as the education minister of the region where the couple lives, citing disagreement in her party over a policy proposal, writes AP NEWS.

Britta Ernst, 62, has been education minister in the eastern state of Brandenburg, which surrounds Berlin, since 2017. Like Scholz, she is a member of the center-left Social Democrats.

Ernst said it had always been “a great honor and pleasure” to lead her ministry. But she told reporters in the state capital, Potsdam, that “great unity” is needed to deal with the challenges it faces.

In a separate, written statement, she pointed to disagreement in the ranks of the local Social Democrats over her proposal to deal with a shortage of teachers. She said she was resigning “so that a new attempt can be made with a new person at the head of the ministry to deal with this challenge for schools in Brandenburg”.

Ernst is being replaced as education minister by Steffen Freiberg, who until now was her deputy. A state election in Brandenburg is due in the fall of 2024.