Teacher shortage disrupts schools

Tekst Robert Sikkes - Redactie Onderwijsblad - 9 januari 2019 - 6 Minuten om te lezen

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Continue to work when you feel ill. Constantly training new invaders. Accommodating extra students from other classes. The investigation shows that the teacher shortage is on the rise. At the end of November last year, research agency Regioplan initiated the survey AObmembers. A total of 5603 teachers, educational support staff and directors from primary education responded. In secondary education, 3542 members answer the questions and in MBO 957. Conclusion: the school teams are under heavy pressure to keep the school running. They see that despite their efforts, the shortage affects quality.

Primary school

At 84 percent of schools for primary and special education, there are no or too few invaders. There are more open vacancies than last year at the same poll. The workload is increasing at the schools. For example, massive work continues in the event of illness. Two-thirds of the respondents indicate that this often or very often applies to themselves.

Quote from the survey: 'Colleagues walk longer when they should actually be lying on the couch at home. I recently walked through with a serious bursitis in my shoulder. I couldn't write on the board to explain anything. I didn't stay home until it was really no longer possible.'

Emergency solutions

Emergency solutions must be constantly sought for colleagues who drop out. All this arranging takes time and causes extra work. 'A lot of unrest in the classes, a lot of teachers have to do extra work because there are different substitutes every time, so a lot of explanation and preparation is needed.' There is also unrest among pupils who see many different people from inside and outside the school every week. 'Children get very restless because they have a different teacher for the class every time. There are no more people to help weak students extra. '

Because there are hardly any substitutes, teaching assistants, teacher training students, directors, parents and starting side entrants are often deployed. Often without any guidance. Assistants run kindergarten groups, parents take care of groups with a games box. Lateral entrants are welcome, but also a risk, one of the respondents said. 'The biggest problem at our school is the side entrants. They are now running three classes, but in these classes there is already a persistent order problem and we are already seeing insufficient returns. '

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That is not the only problem. The newcomers from side entry or secondment agencies only take over the teaching tasks. As a result, the workload increases, many team members observe.

The principal does not get to work, the ICT coordinator leaves his work to stand in front of the class, PE lessons and English are canceled. One in five finds it difficult or impossible to get time off for further training. Because vacancies are not filled, classes are merged. 'We have a pre-school group of 35 children that will grow to 47.'

The need is very high in special education. In the absence of replacement, the groups are enlarged. 'Dividing up in case of illness causes a lot of unrest among the students and there are many interactions between students that regularly lead to undesirable situations such as name calling and aggression.'

Effects

The effect? To begin with, the already considerable workload is high, among teachers who have to make an extra effort. One member fears a domino effect. Another describes that teachers work even less because of the work pressure.

School teams are deeply concerned about the quality of their own lessons (41 percent) and that of the school as a whole (37 percent).

Secondary education

The shortage of substitute students in secondary education is increasing rapidly. At the end of 2017, 28 percent already reported a shortage of invaders, at the end of 2018 this had increased to 37 percent. Respondents report that for weeks, sometimes months, no German or mathematics is taught. But it does not stop at those two: dropout for science subjects in the exam classes, no Dutch for weeks. Teachers look in bewilderment at that raid policy. 'Do you want to deploy philosophy of life teachers in physics and biology and see this as a structural solution?'

Secondary special education is having a hard time finding people. 'We give vmbo t, havo, vwo diplomas and are paid according to collective labor agreement. It is difficult to get well-qualified people with a heart for this target group and yet an even more specialized approach.'

Measures

Measures to combat the shortage are often a mix: side entrants or students in front of the class. In addition, secondary education often calls secondment agencies. But they too often provide unauthorized teachers.

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'Unqualified teacher in front of class during maternity leave,' said one respondent. 'In the case of long-term illness, divide a position among four different people, increase classes'. Cramping up, letting students work independently with someone in front of the class, is also very common. 'Unqualified assistants who have to fill in for qualified subject teachers, students who 'hold up' to do some homework instead of actual lessons.' All in all, school teams see that quality is under heavy pressure.

From the survey: 'By hiring through Monday, students at our pre-vocational secondary education are not getting proper lessons. Substitute colleagues feel no need for guidance, which means that unrest in their classes deprives students and this unrest spreads to other classes.'

Desks

There are many complaints about the use of secondment agencies. The quality of the hired teachers is low and the price high. School replacement budgets are therefore under pressure. And it also increases the workload. 'People via Monday who only teach and cannot be deployed for other things such as section work, activities.'

The next emergency measure is to increase the size of the classes. One respondent reports a HAVO chemistry exam class with thirty students. A school for learning-supported education (lwoo) sees the classes grow step-by-step from 17 to 25 to 30. 'The problems of the students are still there and are only exacerbated by too large classes.'

Secondary MBO education

A lack of substitutes and many vacancies have also turned secondary vocational education upside down. There are gaps on all fronts, from language teachers to plant cultivation teachers. From mathematics to technology teachers. First, a search is made indoors. 'History teacher teaches arithmetic and citizenship. A colleague from the administration has been teaching arithmetic for years, even though he has no teaching qualification. Instructors are deployed as teachers, also for theoretical subjects. '

Those instructors are having a hard time, they say in the open questions of the survey.

From the survey: 'Instructors are put in front of the class much more and independently, so that we are teaching 32 to 36 hours. While the teacher actually spends much less hours in front of the class. For example, we are abused while we are paid much less for really identical work as the teacher. '

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If it is no longer possible to find people internally, then every effort is made to find substitutes, which succeeds, but often for a short time. And when the substitutes leave, there is still work left: 'grading work, catch-up tests, etc., left for the permanent employees.' Due to many changes, order problems arise, say those interviewed.

Home

In secondary vocational education, pupils are regularly sent home (34 percent), the education staff notes. 'I myself was sick for the first five weeks of this school year, my lessons have not been replaced at all,' says a respondent.

The quality of the teams is also declining in MBO. Not enough time to prepare for exams or internships. '40 percent of my team is unauthorized, dissatisfaction is increasing among the students. Students are allowed to continue in their study program while there is insufficient performance. '

Also read: 'Action week: March 11-15' in which AObchairman Liesbeth Verheggen announces a new action week for more investment in education
Also read: Action requirements per education sector