Officials exposed to harsh behavior by Education Minister Wiersma, even after internal apology

Officials continued to complain about the behavior of Education Minister Dennis Wiersma, who has since resigned, after he internally expressed regret and promised improvement last fall. This was despite the minister's claim in April that he had since changed his behavior when De Telegraaf first reported the complaints. This is according to emails and chat messages from officials released by the Ministry of Education at the request of several media outlets.

A few months after the minister took office in early 2022, an official complained about "Dennis' narrative and erratic behavior," the documents show. More than a year later, Wiersma admitted to the media that he had been "harsh and sometimes too fierce" toward his officials. "And thankfully it has been different and much better for some time," he wrote on Instagram. "At least that's what I hear from people around me."

In fact, his officials noted in December that the minister was working on his behavior. Wiersma wrote a message to his staff about the pressure on his ministry because of the problems in education. "I feel this pressure myself, and I realize that sometimes this pressure is transferred to you," the minister said. He added that he wants to learn from it and urged his staff to think alongside him.

"He's really adjusting his style, though," one official wrote to a colleague later that month. The recipient could agree, adding, "But he really needs to learn not to lash out like that right away when he gets frustrated."

However, the improvement in Wiersma's behavior didn't seem to last. "He finds working with D. very stressful and difficult and has indicated that he has his limits," an official wrote in an email in February.

A month later an employee mentioned the ongoing dispute between the minister and his spokesperson. "This way we don't hold anyone," the latter added a little later. "He is more grumpy than ever," was said. An NRC publication reported that the minister's outbursts regularly focused on his spokespersons.

Officials also complained about the heavy workload under Wiersma. "I'm really pissed off," wrote one employee in April when he was sent to work by the minister over the weekend. "Worked all Friday night with Dennis, now again and again tomorrow at a quarter to 9."

Wiersma resigned in June after reports of misconduct surfaced again in the media.