No PABO training especially for pre-primary education
There will be no specialist teacher training courses to train future teachers to become kindergarten teachers. With the upcoming teacher shortage, students should receive a broad education, says Education Minister Jet Bussemaker.
She registers that today a letter to the House of Representatives. In December 2016, the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science asked teachers, school principals, unions and administrators whether further specialization within the PABOs was necessary for the education of young children. The Kindergarten Education Work/Support Group was also questioned. This group believes that teacher training colleges fall short and that students are insufficiently trained to teach well in the lower years.
Widely applicable
Bussemaker disagrees. Bussemaker: 'The teacher training colleges have made a quality improvement in recent years and provide a good basis for teaching both young and old children,' the letter states.
According to the minister, there is no need to make teacher training courses more specialized.
Teachers must be versatile and can follow specializations within their training to update their knowledge of the young child.
Certainly due to the upcoming teacher shortage, it is important that graduates are allowed to teach in every primary school class. Freedom of choice within a broad competence is important, according to Bussemaker. Certainly to get more men on the teacher training colleges.
Education of young children is not only the concern of teacher training colleges, the letter states. It depends on the entire system: the culture, the vision of school leaders, internships and further training. For example, school leaders can ensure that teachers receive the correct in-service training when they start teaching in the lower years.
Earlier pre-primary education
CDA MP Michel Rog recently held a poll which showed that teachers would like to revisit the former kindergarten program Klos. 97,7 percent of the teachers who completed the Klos were well prepared for the real work in kindergarten. Teachers with a PABO training were much less satisfied: two thirds did not think that PABO was a good preparation. Of the nursery teachers surveyed, 92 percent wanted specialist training for preschoolers.
