One in four kindergartens do not always have a teacher to place in front of the class but instead use a child caretaker. This has been seen as an effect of the teacher shortage, especially in Antwerp and East Flanders, reported Het Laatste Nieuws and De Morgen Monday.
In the 2017-2018 school year, 15.8% of schools were using child caretakers as teachers, while in the last school year it had already risen to 27.8%.
This year, Flemish Education Minister Ben Weyts made €23 million available to deploy extra child caretakers in kindergarten, with the intention of allowing them to take over care tasks from teaching staff.
"The intention was that they would support kindergarten teachers there. But in practice, they often replace them," said Goeman.
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Minister Weyts says that the vast majority of those child caretakers are extra helping hands for kindergarten teachers.
"A minority replace a kindergarten teacher or teacher if no one with a pedagogical degree can be found," Weyts said.
