Dutch primary schools reject four-day week as teacher shortage deepens
School leaders in the Netherlands say a four-day week will not solve the acute shortage of roughly 5,800 primary-school teachers.
In the Netherlands, primary-school administrators are largely opposed to moving to a four-day week as a remedy for one outlet teacher shortage. Only three out of 308 surveyed school leaders have implemented such a schedule, according to a poll by Nu.nl and the Academy & Association of School Leaders (AVS). The shortage totals around 5,800 teachers, or 6.3% of all educators, a figure that has improved slightly from an 8.1% deficit in 2024 but remains critical.
Persistent issues like low salaries, demanding work hours and the retirement of a large cohort of teachers continue to deter new entrants. Leanne der Steeg, an AVS policy adviser, argued that a compressed week would not necessarily ease teachers' burdens and could disrupt learning time, homework expectations, and childcare arrangements for working parents.
Why it matters
The decision affects how Dutch children are taught and highlights broader challenges in retaining educators.
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