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Thursday, 18 August 2016 - 08:46
Teacher shortage looming at Dutch primary schools: report
The Netherlands stands at the verge of an acute shortage in primary school teachers, according to the PO-Raad, the umbrella organization for primary schools. If the government doesn't push more money into education soon, there will be a primary school teacher shortage of about 7 thousand in ten years' time, Trouw reports.
According to the primary schools' council, millions of euros are needed on a structural basis to avoid primary schools across the country having unfilled vacancies as early as 2020. This money is needed to increase teachers' salaries, making the job more attractive. The council is also calling for a once-off budget to compensate for the decline in government funding.
The impeding teacher shortage is not a new fear, and not limited to primary schools. Teacher training colleges have seen a decline in students for years. Colleges set higher standards, to improve the quality of teachers. But not all students can meet these requirements.
The shortage is made even more acute by the fact that teachers from the baby boomer era will soon be retiring. In addition to that, many young teachers sought jobs outside their profession over the past years because they could not find work at a primary school. According to the PO-Raad, there was no money to take on these students, despite the impeding shortage.