Poll: A quarter of all teachers are at home

Almost a quarter of the teachers are at home, reports the General Association of School Leaders (AVS). The interest group is based on a poll among a thousand school principals in primary and secondary education.

Two weeks ago, according to the AVS, an average of 18 percent of teachers were still at home. Now it’s 23 percent. “We see that the infections among students are increasing, but especially due to the absence of teachers, classes regularly have to go home,” says AVS chairman Doornbos. An average of 26 percent of students is at home, according to the survey.

The focus is on maintaining education and preventing the learning delay from getting worse, the AVS says.

Quarantine rule adjusted

The poll was conducted in the week leading up to February 3; that’s just after the rules on quarantine for primary school children were relaxed. Children under 13 no longer need to be quarantined after contact with an infected person if they have no complaints. Entire classes no longer have to go home if there are three or more infections. 59 percent of schools had to send home at least one class, 1 percent of schools closed completely.

If teachers call in sick, the director immediately gets to work to arrange replacements, AVS spokesperson Rob van Ooijen said in a statement. NOS Radio 1 News. “That can be another colleague, a teaching assistant or the director himself stands in front of the class. But that is not always possible.”

The PO Council, which stands up for school boards in primary education, recognizes the signals. “It is a challenge for the directors to get enough staff for the class every day,” says Claudia Verhoeven of the council. Some school boards are also concerned about the well-being of the team, the council says. “It’s a lot that they get on their plate. And conversations with parents can also be very complicated.”

‘Crying in the Desert’

Due to the teacher shortage, it is sometimes difficult to provide distance education, says the association. The AVS is therefore again arguing for a better approach to the problem.

Doornbos: “We sometimes seem like crying in the desert. Earlier we called for priority with a booster shot, ventilation and more self-tests for all students. Too often politicians leave education out in the cold.”