40.000 activists on muddy Malieveld: 'Invest in education!'
More than 40 thousand strikers made no mistake about it today at Malieveld in The Hague: invest in education. Teaching staff can no longer provide the education their students deserve. And that hurts.
Statue: AOb, Fred van Diem and Herman Zaalberg (\x3ca href=\"https://eenvandaag.avrotros.nl/item/voor-het-eerst-staken-docenten-uit-het-hele-onderwijs/\" target=\" _blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\x3eOneToday\x3c/a\x3e)
For a moment the sun broke through on the stormy and cold Malieveld. Comedian and chairman of the day Dolf Jansen saw a sign in this: “The sun shines on Dutch education. It is symbolic and only lasts a short while. ”
Lack of warmth - read: money and appreciation - for education is precisely the reason that more than 40 strikers traveled to the Malieveld and that at least 2600 schools closed their doors. Lia and Erwin de Mare, a couple, have both been working in education for almost thirty years. She works at St. Michiel primary school in Schalkwijk, he at the Plantage in Houten. Both schools are closed today. They cite the increased administration and the shortage of teachers as major concerns. “You have to take care of so many extra children. You can't just get sick," she says. “It has been too quiet around education for twenty years. More needs to be invested. A good start has been made, but we are not there yet.”
MBO teacher: 'In a full-time job it is impossible to do all the work in the hours set aside'
Clamp
Teacher Ruud van der Kooy carries a sign with an explicit message: 'MBO-Rijnland, 1fte = 32 hours of lessons.' “Work pressure translates into the number of teaching hours per week. MBO is in the process of reducing that number of hours, but at my school they go up rather than down. As a result, teaching staff gets stuck, ”says Van der Kooy. “When you have a full-time job, it is impossible to do all your work in the hours that are allocated to it. I see colleagues forced to part-time. The institution benefits from all those part-timers who work full-time, but it is disastrous for the profession. ”
Kindergarten teacher: 'With a lively population, a class of 23 children is not small'
The school of eight-year-old Lotte is closed today, she came to The Hague. "Because my mother would like smaller classes for her toddlers." Lotte's brother is in group 8, in a class of 32 students. There are only 5 students in Lotte's own group 23. “But there are some children who previously went to special education. If you catch my drift”, Confides her mother with a wink. "With a spicy population, a class of 23 children is still not small."
Assistant professor: 'We are getting more and more students with the same staff'
“We are getting more and more students with the same staff. That means fuller lecture halls, busier workgroups ”, says Inge Bleijenbergh, associate professor at Radboud University Nijmegen. The workload continues to increase. “There is such a huge list of things to do. More must be invested in higher education. That is why it is important to speak up today. ”
Solidarity
Zoë van Mansfeld, social studies teacher at Mare College Leiden, and Thijs van Schie teach social studies at Leiden University. They walk together across the field with the text 'Arie Slob, plate for your head, we are finished'. Van Mansfeld: “We are in solidarity with our colleagues in primary education. And the work pressure is also great with us. The government has great ideas, but there is no time or money.” Some colleagues do not want to miss lessons out of a sense of responsibility. They are sick, tired or don't have time. That is the paradox, says Van Schie: "Exactly the reason why you should be here at the Malieveld today, is the reason that some of the colleagues are not there."
English teacher: 'I especially miss the appreciation'
Froukje van Houten, English teacher at Willem de Zwijger College in Bussum, has come with a group of colleagues, including the rector. “I am a starting teacher. That is why I first thought: do I have the right to strike? But my colleagues pointed out to me that I have to make my voice heard to indicate what needs to be changed. I especially miss the appreciation. Parents sometimes think they can say anything to you. Together we should form a front for education. ”
Banner
“I am almost done with work myself. But I have come for the future of education ”, says Marja de Groot, group 3-4 teacher at Dalton Kindcentrum het Parelhof in Purmerend. She and a colleague stand behind a banner with the text: 'We make ourselves ♥ for education', painted by children during after-school care. “The workload has increased enormously over the years. You have to report and justify everything, especially since the introduction of appropriate education. There is just a lot more to teachers these days. I have to go home at six, but the work isn't done yet. So many things remain. It will end once. ”
Special education teacher: 'Money goes to boards and does not always end up well'
The pressure of work is also felt at VSO school Altra College in Amsterdam. They fall under the collective labor agreement for primary education and they think that should change. And the education money must be better spent, says Marlon Anches among his colleagues. "It goes to management and does not always end well."
No time
Jeannette van Eerden and Yvette Middel both work at ikc de Klimboom in Arnhem. “I am very concerned about education,” says Van Eerden. “There must be more positive talk about education, but then it must also be more positive. Money needs to be added. I've seen a lot change over the years and not for the better. There is no time to prepare your lesson. You do more and more at home. Because it is your passion after all, people think. ”
Parents are full of understanding, they see that we are here for the education of their children
Ikc The climbing tree remained open today. Two colleagues are on strike at home, the rest are at work. “Some colleagues share the concerns more than others,” says Middel. “Parents are also very understanding. They see that we are here for the education of their children. It may be annoying if there is a strike, but it is much worse if nothing happens. ”
Smelly best
What now? That concluding question asked day chairman Dolf Jansen on stage AObchairman Liesbeth Verheggen. “First of all, we will all vote on March 20. After the elections something will change in the political landscape, ”she predicts. “And we also call on employers to speak up. We have to discuss the collective labor agreement with them again and have done our best today. Now it's their turn. ”
- Did you strike on 15 March and were wages withheld? Download the loss of wages form on our website.
