Pabo students often come into contact with special education too little, say various educational organizations. More attention can help combat the teacher shortage in special education.
There is a huge teacher shortage in special education. According to the latest estimates it is even slightly larger than the teacher shortage in regular education.
The Sector Council for Specialized Education (GO) and the PO Council, the sector organization for primary education, want everyone who becomes a teacher in primary education to become well acquainted with special education during their training. According to these organizations, it currently differs per teacher training college how much attention is paid to this side of education.
“Less known also means less loved,” said a spokesperson for the PO Council. “The distance that PABO graduates have from special education is greater than the distance they have from regular education. This means that graduates are less likely to opt for special education.”
‘Little enthusiasm during internship’
Special education includes children with an illness, disability or disorder. For example, schools for the deaf and hard of hearing fall under special education, but also schools for children with a mental disorder or behavioral problems.
The number of PABO students who choose to do an internship in special education during their education is limited. Less than 10 percent of teacher training students do an internship in special education.
According to Johan van Triest, chairman of Sectorraad GO, teacher training colleges can do more to make students enthusiastic. “Now there is not always a cheerful response to the training if someone wants to do an internship in special education.”
“That is because it is sometimes quite difficult for teacher training colleges to organize such an internship. For example, internship assignments are often devised for regular education. Those assignments must be adapted to make them suitable for special education.”
More cooperation with special education
Almost all teacher training colleges are in talks with special education to see how they can ensure that students are at least aware of special education. This is what Karin van Weegen, chairman of the National Consultation for Primary Education Teacher Training (LOBO), says.
According to Van Weegen, students are increasingly becoming acquainted with special education, for example in the form of a guest lecture, a master class, a visit to a special education school or an internship. “We see that attention to this theme is growing. This is a topic of discussion at every PABO. Pabo’s are also increasingly collaborating with schools for special education.”
“It is important that students know special education so that they can, if they wish, choose to specialize further in this area. Special education requires specific knowledge. This sometimes makes it quite difficult for teacher training colleges, for example, to do internships in special education. organize education.”
It has to be better
Renate van Dijk is director of Stichting Verderwijs, an organization that includes several schools for special education. She sees that teacher training colleges are taking steps to improve attention for special education.
“But it’s not enough yet,” says Van Dijk. “It is important that special education does not dangle with the teacher training college, but that it really becomes part of the training.”
Why the teacher shortage in special education is a threat to the quality of education
- As early as 2019, the Education Inspectorate wrote that the teacher shortage is a threat to the quality of education.
- This certainly applies to special education.
- In special education it is even more important than in regular education that children see a fixed face.
- This applies, for example, to students with autism or behavioral problems. These students often cannot deal with changing faces and can only learn something if they have a good relationship with the teacher.
- Due to the teacher shortage, there is more often a different face in front of the class. There is also more dropout.