education
In Schaarbeek, parents and children complained about the teacher shortage at the beginning of March. — © Kristof Vadino
The education unions ACOD Education, COC and VSOA Education are organizing five demonstrations in May, out of dissatisfaction with the report of the so-called ‘Committee of Wise Men’. To do this, they submit strike notices.
On behalf of Flemish Minister of Education Ben Weyts (N-VA), the Committee of Wise Men, led by Dirk Van Damme and Paul Yperman, developed seventy proposals for the professionalization of the teaching profession. When the report was published in December, the unions already responded critically.
Flemish Minister of Education Ben Weyts (N-VA) saw the proposals as a possible “basis for a fundamental reform”. Dirk Van Damme called it “a kind of school pact” and talked about “feasible proposals that have been worked out in the existing structures”.
But the unions dismiss the proposals as “fantasies, ill-considered measures and recipes from the past”, which will not help to make education “high-quality and attractive”. “For many staff members, the proposals of the Committee of Wise Men are the opposite of what is necessary. The staff members, the real experts, are once again not being heard by policymakers. With our actions we want to give our members and anyone who wants to join us the opportunity to make that voice louder,” it said.
In concrete terms, the unions are organizing demonstrations on five different days in five different cities in all Flemish provinces in May. Antwerp is the first to come on Tuesday, May 7, followed by Ostend on Wednesday, May 8, Leuven on Monday, May 13, Hasselt on Tuesday, May 14 and finally Ghent on Wednesday, May 15. The actions will be accompanied by strike notices.
