Nearly 6% of teaching hours in Flemish secondary schools went uncovered in March 2025, according to a new report by the Belgian Court of Audit.
The teacher shortage has been a persistent problem in Flemish education for years, but its exact scale has remained difficult to measure. A new analysis by the Belgian Court of Audit has now provided a clearer picture of the situation.
According to figures reported by Het Nieuwsblad, 62,392 teaching hours out of more than one million scheduled hours were left without a teacher in March 2025. This represents 5.9% of all teaching hours, equivalent to approximately one in every 16 hours.
The report distinguishes between different types of shortages. Unfilled teaching vacancies accounted for 1.7% of teaching hours, while another 3.6% were affected by the inability to find replacements for absent teachers. Including short-term absences that could not be covered brought the overall shortage to 5.9%.
Brussels and disadvantaged schools hardest hit
The shortage is particularly pronounced in the Brussels-Capital Region, where the combined structural and replacement shortage reached 6%, compared with between 2% and 4% in the Flemish provinces.
Schools with large numbers of disadvantaged pupils are also disproportionately affected. The shortage in these schools reached 7.6% in March 2025. The situation also varies considerably between subjects, with mathematics, Dutch, French and English experiencing the greatest difficulties in finding teachers.
To address the problem, schools have increasingly turned to alternative recruitment methods. The Court of Audit's findings show that 91% of schools rely on professionals entering teaching from other careers, while 81% use trainee teachers.
Other initiatives have proved less popular. A scheme introduced by former Flemish Education Minister Ben Weyts (N-VA), allowing teachers to specialise while receiving additional pay, was used by just 346 teachers during the 2024–2025 school year.
Schools are also placing additional pressure on their existing staff. According to the report, 93% of schools ask teachers to take on extra teaching hours through overtime or additional periods within their workloads.
Teacher shortage could ease in coming years
Despite the figures, the Court of Audit suggests that the shortage could become less severe in the coming years, partly due to declining birth rates.
However, the report warns that certain regions and subjects will remain particularly vulnerable. Rather than facing a general lack of teachers, schools could increasingly struggle to find qualified candidates for specific positions.
Figures from the Flemish employment agency VDAB and a survey by education trade union COC already suggest that recruitment difficulties have begun to ease.
