Alarming prospects in view of the shortage of teachers which is raging at the moment. “The situation has deteriorated over the last ten years. The crisis we are going through concerns many European countries, even if it is more critical in the Wallonia-Brussels Federation.“, recalled Dominique Lafontaine, professor emeritus in educational sciences at the University of Liège and key speaker at the conference on the shortage of teachers organized in April 2024 at the Free University of Brussels. The number of registrations in teaching training fell by 22% for the 2023-2024 school year compared to the previous year.
Where there is the greatest shortage of teachers
The reality differs depending on the school area but in basic education, teachers in nursery, primary, philosophy, gym, religion and Dutch are especially in shortage. For secondary school, gym, geography, history, math, science, morality and modern languages find it difficult to find a candidate.
The severe shortage affects philosophy and citizenship courses in primary schools. For secondary schools, teachers of maths, philosophy and citizenship, geography, French, Dutch and English are disappearing.
-The shortage of teachers is reaching new heights: “Finding a Dutch teacher has become almost impossible”
To deal with the shortage of teachers, the conditions of access to the profession have been relaxed. A required or sufficient qualification allows you to occupy a position in shortage. “The regulations provide that teachers admitted to retirement may be recruited in a course in shortage as defined in a list published each year in a decree of the Government of the French Community. The designation cannot take place beyond the end of the school year during which the staff member reaches the age of 67, except for positions with severe shortages. For teachers teaching a course in severe shortage after retirement age, there is no age limit. Functions in shortage are determined on the basis of objective criteria set by decree, based essentially on teacher pay data.explains the administration.
