Netherlands faces serious teacher shortage

The Netherlands is one of several EU countries facing serious teacher shortages in the future, according to a new report by the European Commission. Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Austria and Belgium can also expect problems in the classroom.

The report, entitled , was presented to EU education ministers who were gathered for talks in Brussels on Friday morning.

The findings show the number of graduates specialising in education is falling at a time when many current teachers are approaching retirement age.

Funding for education is stable in most member states, the report concluded, stressing that higher education remains the best insurance policy against unemployment.

Teaching not attractive
The report finds that specialised training for teachers, such as mentoring, guidance for assessment and classroom observation, is now more widespread across Europe. But these measures have not been enough to increase the attractiveness of teaching.

The Commission wants to boost the attractiveness and quality of the profession by providing a million teachers with opportunities to gain teaching and training experience abroad as part of its new education programme, Erasmus for All.

The professional development of teachers is a key factor in ensuring high quality education for our students. That’s why Erasmus for All aims to strengthen the professional development of teaching staff while at the same time modernising education systems," said EU Education Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou.

The report says the share of the population with third-level education has risen and that graduates find jobs twice as quickly as people with lower qualifications  – five months compared to 9.8 months. But graduates are increasingly over-qualified for their jobs, the report warns, and some professions clearly offer better employment perspectives than others.