'The next flu wave will cause major problems in primary care'
Across the country, primary teacher substitution pools are running out as a result of the rapidly increasing teacher shortage in that sector. 'Substitutes who would like a regular class can get one in almost every region since last school year,' says AObboard member of primary education Eugenie Stolk. 'The number of job-seeking teachers is running out and the growth of starters is too low. As a sector, we are not issuing 'Code Red' for our labor market for nothing. Money has to be added as soon as possible. '
Clear signal to negotiating parties
A tour of the Education Magazine through various regions shows that the next flu wave will cause problems nationwide. Drop-in pools across the country increasingly have to say 'no' when they receive a call from a school about a sick teacher or master. The replacement pool for Rotterdam Rijnmond, which was only established this summer, is empty because participating schools have no teaching staff available for it. Stolk: 'That means that more children are sent home when the teacher is ill. With all its consequences: parents must arrange freely or charter babysitters. But the most important thing is of course: children are not taught due to force majeure. That is at the expense of the quality of the education and it puts a lot of pressure on the teachers who are there. '
The problem is only getting worse
Still, Stolk is not shocked by the news. This is very problematic but not surprising. Let it be a clear signal to the parties negotiating a new cabinet. With an increasing teacher shortage, the majority of the invaders disappear like snow in the sun. And this problem will only increase in the coming years. Many teachers are retiring. This results in an increasing number of unfilled vacancies. In the coming years, graduates will immediately go to a permanent team. '
The fact that the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science is attempting to alleviate the need does not alter that assessment. 'The department always uses relatively small amounts. For example to attract side entrants. That sounds nice, but they are a quick fix. In this way, the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science tackles a raging fire with a water pistol. In addition, the starting point must be that students are taught by qualified teachers, so you need very strict agreements. '
Code Red
The empty raid pools underscore the sense of urgency underlying the October 5 strike. 'It really is Code Red: if a forthcoming cabinet does not want to make any haste with substantial investments, we will be faced with a situation in which we can no longer guarantee a qualified teacher for many children, certainly not during a flu wave,' says Stolk. 'So in addition to quick fixes, an in-depth investment is needed: we need 900 million euros to raise the salaries in primary education to a level comparable to secondary education. And 500 million euros must be added to curb the workload. That is why we also campaign as a PO front during this long formation period. In this we stand shoulder to shoulder with our fellow unions, PO in action and the employers. But parents also express their support. Logical: anyone who does not invest in education now will not care about the society of tomorrow. '
