Back to class: cabinet seeks to train civil servants as teachers

Dutch MPs are proposing to retrain soon-to-be-redundant civil servants from the education, culture and science ministry (OCW) as teachers, according to The VVD. The plan, which has support from D66, CDA, JA21 and 50Plus, aims to address chronic teacher shortages, particularly in urban areas. VVD MP Arend Kisteman believes the initiative will "kill two birds with one stone," as it will allow enthusiastic civil servants to transition to teaching roles at the government's expense.

The Dutch government plans to eliminate 25,000 civil servants over the next nine years, a reduction of 16% by 2035. However, past attempts to retrain civil servants for teaching positions have faced challenges, such as reluctance from schools to hire inexperienced educators and civil servants hesitant to accept salary cuts.