Without flu wave, the water already reaches the lips
Four out of ten primary and secondary schools were already suffering from the shortages at the start of the school year. In special education, two thirds have a shortage of permanent staff or replacements.
Picture: Type tank
That appears from a poll *The poll on the teacher shortage was conducted in the third week of September. A total of 3681 members from primary education participated, 482 worked in special primary education, 1750 in secondary education and 296 in secondary special education. at the end of September under 6200 AObmembers.
'My school can no longer teach German in the upper years. My primary school child has an unauthorized teacher in the classroom, a qualified teacher is no longer sought. My child in lower secondary school has an unauthorized teacher in front of the class for five subjects, three of whom have gone into training. ' With this summary, a secondary education teacher describes the start of the school year.
To send home
Of course there are also schools that do not yet suffer from the teacher shortage, but this year many schools immediately started with problems. In the first weeks of the new school year, 17 percent of primary schools have already sent students home. In special education that percentage is much higher, around 30. 'And then the first flu wave is yet to come', is often written down next to the open answers.
Teacher shortage starts school year
| Open vacancies | No substitutes | |
| Primary education | 19% | 38% |
| Special primary education | 41% | 58% |
| Secondary education | 25% | 21% |
| Secondary special education | 47% | 55% |
Assistant in front of the class
Many schools are also forced to put assistants or trainees in front of the class without further support. Especially in special education this is done with assistants: 40 to 50 percent of schools do this. The use of assistants in primary and secondary education is lower, but one in five trainees take over classes. 'It is sad that little or no importance is attached to the quality of education', is a common complaint. 'The cabinet is pursuing an ostrich policy and is sticking its head in the sand for the problems.'
It is sad that insufficient importance is attached to the quality of education
Furthermore, the respondents reported fuller classes, merging of groups, drop-outs and the deletion of subjects. For the staff, it means that there are still many more tasks that they take up in their job, which varies from 21 percent in secondary education to 43 percent in secondary special education. 'Every week I make a fuss of myself, way too much overtime because I miss colleagues and you want to do it right,' writes one of the respondents. A secondary school teacher indicates that many of his colleagues are wondering whether they will stay in education. Fatigue, burn-out and an exodus of experienced teachers to other sectors is looming. '
'Every week I make a fuss because I miss colleagues'
Besides the current emergency solutions, what can actually be done about this inevitable teacher shortage? The suggestions that have been circulating in recent months within and outside politics have hardly been praised. Letting pupils go to school only at the age of five can count on virtually no support in primary education. A four-day school week finds no mercy either. Video lessons from a distance secondary education rejects, as does the scrapping of subjects.
Most commonly used measures
| Home | Assistant in front of the class | Intern in front of the class | |
| Primary education | 17% | 27% | 20% |
| Special primary education | 29% | 50% | 14% |
| Secondary education | 19% | 15% | 21% |
| Secondary special education | 33% | 42% | 18% |
Working full time
The respondents are less negative about encouraging full-time work. There, proponents, opponents and people who are neutral towards it keep each other more or less in balance. The same applies to a Randstad bonus. The only thing that a majority can be found in favor of is a national image campaign for the teaching profession.
