Long waiting times and bureaucracy for extra support for students
Teachers who request extra support for students often have to wait months for this. The procedure is also an enormous bureaucracy. This is evident from a survey among about 3700 AObmembers in primary and secondary education.
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In the context of appropriate education, pupils must be kept on board in regular primary and secondary education for as long as possible. Teachers can call on extra support for this.
However, applying for this support takes a very long time, according to a study by the AOb in association with Reporter Radio (KRO-NCRV). The survey of 3700 AObmembers indicate that an application in secondary education takes an average of two months. In primary education this is even three months. Furthermore, the procedure is very bureaucratic: the total hassle takes a teacher almost a full working day, and sometimes even more. This wastes a lot of valuable teaching time.
You always have to try something new in your group first. Then you have to evaluate that
'The stretching is far too long, a lot of administration is expected from the teacher', one teacher responds in the survey. 'We sometimes have to put in a lot of effort to get extra support,' says a colleague. 'A lot of evidence is required, it takes a lot of time before you can even submit an application.' And: 'You always have to try out something new in your group first. You then have to evaluate that again, and it only becomes clear after a few weeks whether extra support is justified. '
Cumbersome
“This survey shows exactly what goes so terribly wrong with appropriate education,” says AObchairman Eugenie Stolk. “There is too little reliance on the teacher's professional judgment, and a far too cumbersome procedure has been created for requesting additional support. I hope that the House of Representatives will raise this in the discussion of the Appropriate Education Act on 16 November. ”
Stickiness
The requested support is ultimately awarded in only half to three quarters of the cases, according to the survey. “A teacher therefore spends a day requesting reinforcement,” says Stolk. “After that, he or she has to wait a long time before a decision is made, and to top it all off, many applications are not honored. Then it is not surprising that many people are desperate from so much sloppiness in the procedures. ”
And if help comes at all, it is immediately used for the classroom due to the teacher shortage
And once help gets going, it is not always adequate. "Eventually there will be extra support, but it is often insufficient in number of hours or workload," says a teacher. And: 'Often it is not support in the sense of extra hands in the classroom.'
Another responds: 'Due to the teacher shortage, the relevant help is usually immediately used for the class, and it is no longer available for support.'
Working time
Applying for a referral to special education - the statement of admissibility - takes even longer and takes up even more hours from the teachers. In secondary education it takes an average of three and a half months before a referral is made, in primary education it takes four full months. The entire procedure takes a teacher between nine and eleven hours of work.
“The situation is dire,” says Stolk. “The procedures urgently need to be reviewed and adjusted, and the judgment of the teacher - the professional - must be taken seriously again. We hope that the House of Representatives will take action on this and call on the minister to take action. ”
