€210 mil. for schools to call in extra help during Covid crisis
The government earmarked 210 million euros with which primary schools, secondary schools, and vocational institutions can call in extra help during the coronavirus crisis. This money can be used to hire extra staff or support staff, to relieve some pressure on teachers and school leaders, Ministers Arie Slob and Ingrid van Engelshoven of Education announced on Monday.
"It is good that the schools remain open as much as possible, that is important for the development of students," Slob said. "Due to corona, the pressure on teachers and school leaders in particular is extra high, for example when their colleagues have to be quarantined. We want to use this money to try to provide relief in the classroom."
Schools more often have to combine physical and distance learning, demanding a great deal of organization. And due to the pandemic, sick leave among teachers is higher than usual. This can lead to more classes being canceled, children being sent home, or even an entire institution closing, the Ministers said.
With this extra 210 million euros, schools and vocational institutions will get a contribution towards the costs they incur to replace sick teachers, for example. As finding a temporary teacher can be difficult due to the teacher shortage in the Netherlands, the money can also be used to recruit more support staff, who can help enforce and supervise the coronavirus rules, for example.
The money will be available from January. School boards will soon be informed about the rules for this subsidy.
