Schools bash Cabinet’s new €15M pilot to get part-time teachers to work more hours

The PO-Raad has criticized plans made by the State Secretary for Education, Mariëlle Paul, to invest 15 million euros on a three-year trial that rewards teachers for working more hours. Trying to stimulate teachers into working an extra day has been considered to be one of the solutions to solve the teacher shortage in primary education, but the umbrella organization has said that "structural investment in good staff policies and good employment practices” would be a better solution to the issues at hand. The trial will begin in 2026.

If all part-time teachers would work an extra day, then that would be the equivalent of an extra 1,600 full-time jobs. According to the Ministry of Education, research shows that 25 percent of part-time teachers want to work a day more. Seven in 10 primary school teachers work part-time. Primary education currently has a shortage of around 7,700 teachers.

In addition to a financial bonus, schools could also reward teachers who work more with more days off, more flexible work times, and additional tasks other than teaching. The bonuses are meant to make part-time teachers more enthusiastic to work more, but they will also be geared towards full-time teachers, a spokesperson for the ministry said.

It is not currently known how many schools and teachers are expected to be helped by this subsidy.

The VVD state secretary thinks that many teachers would be more open to working more hours if they were rewarded. “Many teachers want to work more hours, but they often need that push to take the step. That is why I want to make working more hours more attractive for the people that can and want to do it.”

Primary schools responded to the news with pessimism. The PO-Raad said that it is disappointing that the subsidy scheme is only temporary.

According to the organization, the education sector is currently “under significant pressure” due to budget cuts. They think it is good to convince teachers to work more hours, but there is “little evidence that bonuses will be effective in the long term,” the organization said.