Special education Noord-Holland welcomes pensioners
Teachers who have retired from the Heliomare education and care foundation in the past two years are welcome to come back one day a week. That says Jan Welmers, member of the Board of Directors of Heliomare. The foundation supports the March 15 strike and will continue to pay the strikers.
Picture: Heliom
The large education and care foundation Heliomare in North Holland, with about a thousand pupils in special and secondary special education, is struggling with a staff shortage, just like other schools. “If a teacher falls ill or leaves, it often takes a long time before we can fill the vacancy again,” says Welmers. "Sometimes we have to apply art and flying work."
Overtime
In the latter case, for example, a math teacher from another school is borrowed to run lessons. “This teacher is then released from other tasks at school, such as meetings. In that case, the teacher will be taking more lessons than stipulated in the standard annual task, so there will be structural overtime. ”
And if replacements or new teachers are found, they often have to go straight to the classroom. “The teacher shortages come at the expense of the induction period,” says Welmers. “New employees quickly go in front of the classroom and are fully charged faster. This creates the risk of them failing. That's how we put the cart before the horse. ”
The teacher shortage has been caused by years of political stupidity
The only way to solve the teacher shortage is a mix of measures, Welmers thinks. “The shortage was caused by years of political silliness and that cannot be resolved in one fell swoop. In any case, we must make it attractive for teachers not to leave education. For example by supporting teachers with caring tasks and by making it possible to work from home. ”
Retirees
And returnees are also welcome. Welmers: “I invite everyone who has retired in the past two years to come and teach one day a week again”. Welmers is also looking for a solution to the staff shortage by working with trainees and using class assistants. "I'm not saying that we can do with fewer people, but that we might be able to organize the work in a different way than putting one teacher in front of one class at a time."
Continue to pay
Heliomare supports the March 15 strike and has pledged to continue paying the strikers. “Not because we suffer from the teacher shortage,” says Welmers. "We just believe that employees have the right to stand up for their interests."
