Unions and employers want an emergency package for education
The trade unions and employers in primary and secondary education want an emergency package of 423,5 million euros for education. The package, for the 2020 budget year, is necessary to address the acute staff shortage and high workload.
Picture: Fred van Diem
In primary education, according to the trade unions (AOb / FNV O&O, FvOv, CNV Education and AVS) and the employers (PO Council and VO Council) need a total of 241,5 million euros. Part of this amount is intended to reduce the workload, which is harmful for current teachers and which further increases the teacher shortage. The workload is so high that many would rather work less than more, 'the organizations involved write to Minister Slob. 'And older teachers want to stop earlier because of the workload. ”'
Smeared
Minister Slob has already reserved money for reducing the workload, but this would be spread over the school years until 2024. According to the unions and employers, the need is so great that the amount must be used earlier. In the distribution of the money, a 'more balanced allocation' to (secondary) special education and special primary education would be in order.
Pay gap
In addition to money to combat the workload, 2020 million euros will be needed by 185 to close the pay gap between primary school teachers and secondary school teachers. And on top of that, 16,5 million for the improvement of the remuneration of teachers who teach in the diploma-oriented part of special education.
Politicians must realize that this emergency package of 423,5 million euros can really make a difference
In secondary education, a total of 2020 million euros will be needed in 182 to reduce the workload and to realize the ambition to improve the quality of education. Roughly half of that money is intended to make the first start with a fifty-hour reduction in lessons for teachers. This can reduce the workload and increase the quality of education.
Disadvantaged neighborhoods
The other half of the money is needed to offer staff at schools in disadvantaged neighborhoods better working conditions. "The teacher shortage manifests itself even more than elsewhere in disadvantaged areas," write the trade unions and employers. 'These schools have a big motion to attract teachers. This poses a direct threat to the quality of education and leads to an even greater inequality of opportunities for pupils. ' To attract and retain teachers, schools in disadvantaged neighborhoods could use the money for labor market benefits and higher grades, for example.
Poverty
“Politicians must realize that this emergency package of 423,5 million euros can really make a difference,” says AObchairman Liesbeth Verheggen. “The difference between an empty class and a class with a motivated teacher. At the moment, the children in the Netherlands do not even know whether they will all have a teacher next year. What poverty. ”
Malieveld
Verheggen emphasizes that this emergency package is a call from the joint trade unions and employers in primary and secondary education. “On March 15, we were like AOb with 40.000 teachers and support staff on the Malieveld. And now there is this distress signal from all unions and from employers. The minister really cannot ignore these signals. ”
