Nearly all Dutch teachers pay for their classroom's supplies

Almost 90 percent of Dutch teachers buy supplies for their classroom out of their own pocket, according to a poll by education union AOb. This includes stickers, books, filing cabinets and craft supplies. Some of them even spend more than 200 euros, AD reports. According to the union, this is because most teachers have a heart for education, which urges them to enrich lessons in any way they can. About a third of the teachers can't claim back the money they spent on supplies. A third can claim back some of it. And the final third can claim back all of it. The AOb thinks that there should be a budget for this. "Necessary materials, such as pens and books, should by standard come from the school's budget. But there are also additional items that teachers consider necessary for lessons. There must be room for that", AOb director Jose Muijres said to the newspaper. The union calls for clarity. Teachers and school administrators need to make proper arrangements on what items can be bought with the school budget and what not. And what the budget limit is. "Not everything has to be 100 percent functional, but it must serve a purpose", he said. "A glitter pen, which is not part of standard lesson supplies, may encourage children to write. A bag of onions can be useful in biology class."