Primary school teacher shortage increases to 9,700; One in ten vacancies unfilled

The teacher shortage has increased further this year, Education Ministers Robbert Dijkgraaf and Dennis Wiersma wrote in a letter to parliament. Primary schools are now short 9,700 full-time teachers, accounting for 9.5 percent of the total number of teachers needed. Last year, it was still a deficit of 9.1 percent.

School leaders are even harder to find. That shortage is now 13.6 percent in primary schools. The deficits are proportionally the biggest in the five largest municipalities. Schools that often struggle with educational disadvantages also have more difficulty finding teachers.

Staff shortages are also on the rise in secondary schools. The Ministers did not report how significant these shortages are, but they did note that the number of vacancies is increasing. The Ministers also spoke about “hidden shortages” in secondary education. “These arise, for example, if courses are temporarily canceled, or a course is offered for fewer hours or no longer offered at all,” they wrote.

In the past year, the government has tried to reduce the teacher shortage by raising primary school teachers’ salaries to match their colleagues in secondary education. In the summer, the Education Ministers decided to allocate more money for lateral entrants and study information so that more students start training to become teachers.

In the spring, the Court of Audit harshly criticized the National Education Program. The billion-euro investment aims to make up for the education gaps incurred during the coronavirus pandemic but has caused more shortages in some places, specifically in schools in more disadvantaged neighborhoods. The demand for teachers has increased due to the cash injection, which is detrimental to schools with the greatest risk of falling behind.

On Thursday, the Ministers will debate the teacher shortage with the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of the Dutch parliament.