AOb: 'If you think MBO is important, take MBO staff seriously'
The minister must set the same quality requirements for MBO as for the other education sectors, believes the AOb. In MBO, for example, only qualified teachers should be allowed to give language and arithmetic lessons. VET teachers must also receive the salary to which they are entitled.
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The current situation is that a sixteen-year-old in secondary vocational education (mbo) can learn Dutch from a teacher who has not followed any training for this. While a Dutch teacher of a havist or grammar school student in the same age category must be qualified. "If you think MBO is important, take MBO staff seriously," says Henrik de Moel, AOb- driver for secondary vocational education.
Employee central
In anticipation of the House of Representatives debate on MBO on Wednesday 9 November, the AOb, three other trade unions and BVMBO, the professional association for educators in MBO, a letter to the education spokespersons in the House of Representatives. The unions want minister Robbert Dijkgraaf to be plans for the sector adjusts. In MBO, just like in primary and secondary education – and next to the student, the employee must come first.
De Moel: "Teachers and support staff are the ones who do it: they are crucial for the quality of education. We miss the perspective of our colleagues in the minister's plans."
De Moel finds it illogical that there are two so-called work agendas: one for primary and secondary education and one for senior secondary vocational education. "In practice, teacher training programs train for teaching in secondary education and MBO. People with a PABO qualification work in MBO and there are secondary schools that fall under an MBO institution."
The broad employability is demotivating and frustrating
De AOb signals moreover, the employability of teachers in secondary vocational education leads to problems. De Moel: "There are countless examples of teachers who efficiency employed in subjects other than those for which they have been trained. Often without being able to prepare sufficiently. Purely with the aim of closing the grid. This is demotivating and frustrating for many teachers."
The broad employability is also undesirable for students. De Moel: "It cannot be the case that a sixteen-year-old is taught by a qualified teacher in HAVO, while in MBO - for the general subjects - this is not necessary." The unions therefore want the minister to investigate whether the competence system of secondary education can also apply to MBO.
Function mix
In addition, hard agreements must be made about the distribution of teachers over the salary scales in MBO, the job mix. In MBO, it has still not been possible to get the agreed numbers of teachers in scale LC. "LC is still not the standard scale. And the LD function is hardly given to teachers," says De Moel. "That is why the money must be earmarked for this and we want national agreements on minimum percentages in the LC and LD salary scales."
Read the brief to the House of Representatives and the alternative work agenda for senior secondary vocational education
Read the message about it here the Cabinet's commitment work agenda MBO
And check how also MBO staff often try for years to end up in the right scale.
