Primary schools are still looking for 4200 new colleagues
Primary schools are still short of 3500 teachers, 400 support staff and 320 school leaders after the summer holidays. This has emerged from a study by Duo Education Research commissioned by the PO Council.
Picture: Fred van Diem
From the research among three hundred school boards it appears that the teacher shortage has grown again by about 5 percent compared to last year. Some of the vacancies will still be filled at the last minute in the summer, although school boards indicate that they are increasingly having difficulty with this. The boards do not expect to be able to find any teachers for 1400 vacancies. In addition to teachers, schools are also struggling with a shortage of school leaders and educational support staff. For example, almost one in twenty schools is at risk of not having a school leader.
Trainees
The fact that schools and boards are bending over backwards to deal with the problems is evident from the measures they are taking. One in four school boards with shortages indicate that they are forced to put unauthorized persons in front of the classroom. Also - more often than last year - trainees from the teacher training courses are put in front of the group. And older teachers are being asked to retire later. Half of the boards also expect to have to send classes home from time to time next school year.
The teacher shortage is hardest for the most vulnerable students
It is striking that, compared to 2018, the shortage has hit some schools harder than others. 'We know from practice that the teacher shortage hits schools with vulnerable children the hardest,' the PO council writes on its site. 'Secondary special education, for example, is losing teachers to regular secondary education, because they are paid better there. This increases the differences between schools and increases the inequality of opportunity for students.'
Salary
The boards indicate that the quality of education is coming under pressure due to staff shortages. For example, 60 percent of school boards report that there is less time for students with additional support needs. 'This is disastrous for the students, their future is at stake', says the PO council. 'It should become more attractive to become a teacher. That means providing more and diverse training routes, more career opportunities and a fair salary for all employees.'
Emergency package
To cope with the acute teacher shortage and the high workload in both primary and secondary education, an emergency package of 423,5 million euros is needed, argued education unions and employers in primary and secondary education last week. This can ensure fairer salaries in primary education, improvement of working conditions in secondary education and a reduction in the workload for all teachers.
