Government always responds incorrectly to teacher shortages
The government always responds too late in the event of teacher surpluses and shortages. It aggravates the problems instead of solving them. Can that be done differently?
Education has been dealing with surpluses and shortages since the XNUMXs. In the Education magazine is a concise version of that history and is online a longread available. The main lesson of that story is simple: the government learns very little from history.
Research agency Centerdata, for example, is now again predicting significant shortages in primary education and an increasing number of subjects in secondary education.
The forecasts become more alarming with each annual update: not a shortage of 6.500 in primary education in 2025, but 8.000. Centerdata now predicts a shortage of 10.000 teachers.
Always late
Could we have foreseen that? Yes. Could we have done something about it? Yes. Then why doesn't that happen? Because the government always responds too late. And usually the problems worsens instead of resolves.
The attractiveness of working in education has not improved in recent years due to cuts in jobs and salaries. In a letter from State Secretary Sander Dekker of Education to the House of Representatives, emergency measures are again suggested to interest more people in education. Dekker briefly talks about the salary.
'Reward and prospects for professional development help determine the status and image of the profession.
For young teachers in particular, the reward plays a role in the choice of whether or not to continue working in education. '
That observation is correct, but the solution is lacking. Continuing attention, Dekker promises, but without pulling the wallet. Too little. Too late. Again.
In primary education, students are lacking invaders already sent home. In secondary education, it is hidden away in fuller classes and with unauthorized persons.
Would the formation result in a cabinet that is finally serious about making a more attractive profession?
Read the article below Always late from Education magazine 6 of April 1, 2017. The longread with all the details and the complete overview can be found via this link.
