Initiatives to tackle the chronic shortage of teachers in Brussels' Dutch-speaking education system are bearing fruit. However, the problem is not yet entirely resolved as schools are still calling for one more measure.
Teacher shortages have raised concerns for years across the country. The lack of staff in the Flemish community's education sector has resulted in schools scrapping or modifying exams, experimenting with four-day teaching weeks, and mid-term class changes for pupils.
However, one month into the 2024-2025 academic year, Dutch-speaking school boards in Brussels indicated a clear decrease in shortages. A survey about the number of vacancies and long-term absences carried out in mid-September showed one in three schools had no unfilled teaching positions. Meanwhile, the proportion of schools with multiple open positions dropped to one in four.
"We are relieved at this positive trend. We are very grateful to the teachers' teams, but there is still work to be done," said Sven Gatz, Brussels Education Minister for the Flemish Community Commission (VGC).
Make teaching great again
In September 2023, some 370 vacancies were still open, but data from the latest survey show schools had 231 unfilled vacancies. More than 7,000 teachers are now working in Dutch-speaking education, 102 of whom are long-term absentees who haven't been replaced.
"The combination of a low number of open positions and a low number of long-term absentees who haven't been replaced make the figures look more favourable at the moment than at any other time over the past two years," said Gatz.
The positive evolution is mainly down to measures taken by the VGC to reduce the teacher shortage, including setting up six information fairs to attract 'lateral entrants' and encourage people to become teachers, including the tuition fee refund programme for those who teach for five years. "I am pleased that our initiatives are bearing fruit," Gatz said.
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Looking to the future, Brussels colleges and universities with Bachelor's and Master's degrees are experiencing a slight increase in the number of students training to become teachers.
However, the problem has not yet been resolved: there is still demand for general teachers in primary education, and science, language, religion and maths teachers in secondary schools. Gatz stressed that there is a need for a 'Brussels premium' or bonus – similar to the one given to police officers – to attract teachers to the Belgian capital.
