The European Commission is sounding the alarm on the teaching profession’s situation. In its 2019 Education and Training Monitor report—published on Thursday, 26 September, on the occasion of the second European Education Summit—the Commission points to a potential labour shortage in the coming years.
“Some countries are soon set to experience a wave of retirements, or have an insufficient number of prospective candidates for teaching”, states the report, which is concerned about the profession’s lack of attractiveness. The report is based on an extensive survey of teachers that was conducted by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
Lack of attractiveness
In terms of departures, at least five EU countries (Italy, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Estonia, Greece, and Latvia) will have to replace about half of their secondary school teachers over the next decade. The last three countries will also have to replace half of their primary school teachers.
However, the profession’s attractiveness seems to be in a bad state. Only 18% of lower secondary school teachers consider their profession to be valued by society. Similarly, among more experienced teachers, the proportion of teachers who would still choose to work as teachers has decreased considerably in several EU countries. Furthermore, there is a feminisation of the profession, with 85% of women in primary education and 96% in pre-primary education.
The issue of salaries partly explains this lack of attractiveness. In certain countries—such as the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Italy, and Hungary—teachers earn less than 80% of what other higher education graduates earn.
“The success of any education reform depends on teachers—that is why better responding to their needs is key to building a true European Education Area by 2025”, Commissioner Tibor Navracsics commented on the occasion.
Still gaps in basic skills
In addition to this particular focus on teachers, the report examines progress made towards achieving the objectives and guidelines of the ET2020 strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training. It shows that the work is progressing relatively well, with the exception of basic skills where, as worrying as it may seem, one in five 15-year-old students are still unable to perform basic tasks in reading, mathematics, and science. (Original version in French by Sophie Petitjean)