Teacher shortage overshadows start of new school year
As the new school year kicks off across Belgium, schools in both the Dutch and French-speaking communities are grappling with an increasingly severe teacher shortage, raising concerns about the quality of education and the well-being of students. Schools are calling on politicians to take action.
Less than a week before the start of the school year, almost half of Flemish schools are still looking for at least one teacher, according to a survey of 383 principals by the Education Association of Cities and Municipalities (OVSG).
Of the principals surveyed, 54 per cent say the shortage in their school is the same or greater than last year. Only 19 per cent say it has improved and 26 per cent say there is no shortage in their school.
Authority and autonomy
Schools “need a sign that the problem is being worked on", says OVSG general director Walentina Cools. "Because if they have to keep replacing colleagues, keep having to put principals in front of classrooms and keep supervising new colleagues who soon leave again, at some point they will give up.”
Francophone schools are facing the same problems. The new school year started Monday morning for its 900,000 pupils and 120,000 teachers, and for the new Education minister, Valérie Glatigny.
Boosting the quality of education is her focus, and that means reducing the shortage. She hopes to keep teachers in post by “restoring the image of the teacher” by giving them “more authority and autonomy”. To attract more new teachers, she advocates “valuing” the experience people have gained in other sectors.
#FlandersNewsService | © BELGA PHOTO ERIC LALMAND
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