Teacher register is in a transition phase
The teachers' register is the subject of discussion and is now also on the agenda of the House of Representatives. “We are in a year of transition from a voluntary to a compulsory register,” says AObchairman Liesbeth Verheggen clearly. “That requires changes and sometimes causes confusion. And certainly not everything is going well. For us, the register is a means for more appreciation of the profession and better education. It is not an end in itself. ” An overview.
Image: Flickr - Gianfois
For the AOb It was a breakthrough that at the beginning of this year the Teaching Profession Act was adopted. Long argued AOb for more appreciation for the professional. "But that is more than just recording the qualities in a register", says AObchairman Verheggen. "We think it is at least as important to take the profession seriously. So that the teacher once again has a leading role in education and that lessons are given by qualified teachers. All this to improve the quality of education."
Paper reality
The previous cabinet was blinded by the paper reality, according to Verheggen. "Cabinet Rutte II only wanted to make the register compulsory without the autonomy of the teacher that goes with it. We - together with the other teacher organizations in the Education Cooperative: CNVO, VVVO, FvOV and then also with BON - managed to prevent that. Now we are facing a new phase: ensuring that autonomy takes shape in the form of a professional statute at schools. That is our responsibility. A properly functioning register will soon be the responsibility of the professional group. And there is a lot of confusion about the latter.
Until now there was a voluntary register, organized by the Education Cooperative. It contains the voluntary register, for which the unions are responsible. This school year is the transition phase to a mandatory register of teachers as of August 2018. Teachers will be responsible for this mandatory register. Verheggen: "That is to say: the elected members of the participants' meeting, which means as much as the teachers' parliament of the entire professional group." Everything related to the register will soon be the responsibility of that meeting of participants. Think of the design of the register, but also the standards for re-registration. The meeting of participants is supported by a bureau.
Control of the profession
In this way, the current board of the Education Cooperative will be completely distanced from the register of teachers. Verheggen: "But as I said, we are in a transitional phase. A provisional participants' meeting has now been elected - with sadly few votes. They have the heavy task of preparing the transition to a properly functioning register. Something the bureau of the The Education Cooperative and the Board of course feel jointly responsible for this. So we are looking at how the Office and the Board of the Education Cooperative can best prepare and then implement this new situation. But when the register is mandatory, a new meeting of participants – elected from and by all teachers - take over full control of the register. Then the register is from, for and by the teachers. Unions in the board are no longer involved. Nothing new, that is how it has always been the intention and that is how we will do it."
AOb-chairman Liesbeth Verheggen: "No bullshit courses where you are lured with a celebrity as a speaker and a free tablet"
"Of course there are problems. There is a complicated ICT issue on the table. The criteria for re-registration must be drawn up, and on that point I share the concerns of critics. Yes, of course further training must be of quality, no crap courses where you are lured will be with a celebrity as a speaker and a free tablet. We also believe that a register can only be taken seriously if it helps teachers and students further. The coalition agreement contains reassuring words about this: "To make the teachers' register a success it will soon have to be from, for and by the lecturer.This will be a strict condition for the cabinet in the further elaboration.' We are happy to work on such a register and see it as a better basis than the policy haste of the previous cabinet to choose 2018 as the starting date."
More time
"It is about more autonomy for teachers and therefore better education. We are happy to discuss this with the new education minister Arie Slob. The organization of the support office must be adapted to the new situation, the role of the board is changing. the register and deals with matters such as the Day of the Teacher and the Teachers' Congress. In short, a lot has to be done in a short period of time. If it takes more time to get it right on track, the legislator must also grant the profession ."
