More than 3,500 teachers protest in Antwerp
More than 3,500 teachers and other school staff gathered in Antwerp on Tuesday for a demonstration during a demonstration organised by the education unions. The figures come from the Christian education union COC and are much higher than the 2,000 people that had been expected to take part in the protest.
The demonstration set off from Antwerp’s Operaplein and headed for the Theaterplein in Antwerp city centre. The march called at the Groenplaats just before noon. The square was full and there was barely space to accommodate all the protesters. Education staff are protesting against proposals for what they see as a watering down of their statutory rights. These proposals appear in a report written by the so-called “Commission of the Learned”.
One of the teaching unions’ foremost demands is that those entering education either full or part-time as part of a career switch are given decent training. One of the Commission of the Learned’s proposals had been to scrap the requirement to supply proof of aptitude for those entering the teaching profession in this way. Another bone of contention is what the unions see as a lack of guarantees with regard to the proposals for a 38-hour week for teaching staff.
It won’t be until later on Tuesday that the Education Services Institute will be able say what impact today’s protest has had on schools.