Bink brought the matter to the attention of Education Minister Dirk Currie. According to the parliamentarian, due to the major shortage of teaching staff, the ministry appealed to retired teachers to return to the classroom. Although these educators have since been deployed, their salary payments have reportedly still not been arranged.
“We are already eleven months on and the people are still waiting for their money,” Bink said. The DNA member expressed dissatisfaction over the failure to make the payments.
Major shortage of teachers
Minister Currie recently announced that education is facing a considerable shortage of teachers. There is a shortage of 68 teachers at lower and upper secondary level. In addition, there are 74 vacancies for subject teachers at secondary schools.
These include eleven mathematics teachers, ten for biology, nine for drawing, seven for physical education and seven for physics.
There is also a staff shortage at the senior secondary level. According to Currie, 27 teachers are needed there for various subjects. The largest shortages are in Dutch, physics and sociology.
Long-term sick leave compounds problem
In addition to the shortage of available teachers, the ministry is faced with long-term absenteeism among education staff. According to Currie, this concerns 79 teachers who have been absent for long periods and therefore cannot be deployed, while their salaries continue to be paid.
“We must take this into account, because this also causes the shortage,” the minister stated.
The ministry therefore faces the challenge of making sufficient teachers available while at the same time addressing the payment arrears owed to the redeployed retired educators.
