Family keeps driver on track
Henrik de Moel took office as daily director of the AOb, together with side entrant Jelmer Evers. He knows the union through and through.
Image: Rob Niemantsverdriet
What does the AOb still many meeting committees at the top. Would it make you dizzy?
“While it is actually very simple. The General Assembly, with a hundred members, is in charge. They elect a board of a maximum of 21 people, divided over the education sectors, who together monitor progress. Among them are six full-time and fully-paid daily directors under whose leadership the policy is fleshed out. As of 1 August I will be moving from the main to the executive board. I was in it for a while as a disease substitute. I have been trained. ”
Have you been in education for a long time?
“I come from an educational background. My parents came home every day with bags full of proofreading and preparation. That didn't seem like a thing for later. I went to study history. After graduating, a friend invited me to do a trial lesson. It was love at first sight after fifty minutes. Standing in front of a class with children made me happy. A year later I had my qualification and found a job at CSG Augustinus in Groningen. ”
As a purebred Groninger, have you been influenced by Fré Meis?
“No, that communist was active in East Groningen at the time. I am a real 'resident'. Well from a PvdA nest, that's still my party. But my wife is from GroenLinks and my in-laws from the Party for the Animals. Together they keep me on track. ”
After which you joined the AObranks?
“Exactly. It started in the national sector council VO. At some point I became one of the five members of the sector board. In 2013 I became the VO chief driver. In 2015 I was reappointed for four years and will soon be at the helm full-time every day. ”
What result of the past years are you most proud of?
“I'm not going to trumpet about myself, results are the result of good teamwork. The best thing I think is that in recent years we have become increasingly successful in getting and keeping the educational issue in the spotlight. ”
What are your priorities?
“Nothing surprising. It is unpalatable to me that equality of opportunity in education is declining. That the teacher shortage will increase rather than decrease. That the quality is under pressure and the workload is too high. Teachers are governed by timetables and the school bell. That is a nuisance and so people get a burnout. That percentage is highest in secondary education. "
Are you going to the AOb also internally turned upside down?
"Certainly not. We are already doing a lot of good, our membership is growing. We are working on a plan to increase our daily presence in schools. In the past, when you were appointed, the director asked if you were already a member of the union and printed an application form in your hands. That role should now be in the hands of a group of colleagues at every school. Even with all our counselors, we cannot be at all schools every day, but our members are. We need to look at how we can make better use of digital resources. There are quite a lot of people in education who think something about something, but do not have the time to go to union meetings. We need to draw that group closer to us. ”
