Emergency plan will remedy teacher shortages in 5 big cities, claims gov't
NL TimesThe Dutch government is in discussions with the school boards in five cities hard-hit by a shortage of teachers to roll out emergency plans to address the problem. "The emergency measures must alleviate the day-to-day stress of schools, so that schools have the space to focus on solutions for the coming years," the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science said in a statement. The plan includes 60 million euros spread out over the next two years to combat the teacher shortage at a regional level, and an additional million euros annually for four years to each of the four biggest cities in the country. The more recent estimate also does not include some 850 new teachers expected to shift to primary school from secondary and higher education, the ministry said. Just last week the Netherlands agreed to a new contract with teaching unions after a year of negotiating, which would give a 4.5 percent pay increase to teachers along with a one-time bonuses equivalent to one-third of their monthly salary, and an additional single payment of 875 euros.