Gaston Ternes

Carte blanche When teachers burn out...

It is rare for such broad consensus to emerge in Parliament across political divides: our primary school system is under significant pressure. And increasingly, it is teachers who are feeling this pressure to the very limits of their capacity. The question is therefore no longer whether we have a problem. The real question is now: how do we prevent more and more teachers from leaving the profession? It is this question that Gaston Ternes addresses in this carte blanche.

The reality of the classroom has changed profoundly in recent years. The role of the teacher has become considerably more complex. Today, teachers are expected to simultaneously provide pedagogical support, manage conflicts, advise parents, and respond to the increasingly diverse individual needs of pupils.

The inclusion of children with specific needs is both right and essential. However, an inclusive school cannot mean that a single teacher carries the entire burden of responsibility. If we are serious about inclusion, we need more specialised support directly in the classroom, as well as fast and non-bureaucratic procedures that do not become mired for months in administrative processes. This is not a luxury, but a necessity.

Another major challenge is bureaucracy. Many teachers today feel they spend more time on administrative tasks than with the children. Digitalisation alone does not solve the problem—especially when it merely creates additional administrative burdens. What is needed are concrete measures to ease this load: school secretariats for primary education, strengthened administrative support, and an educational organisation that restores time and space for focusing on teaching and on the child.

In addition, no two primary schools face exactly the same challenges. What works in one municipality cannot automatically be transferred to another. Schools therefore need greater autonomy and more room for decision-making in their day-to-day operations. Professionally led school management, with clear competencies, sufficient resources, and close proximity to practice, could make a significant contribution both to relieving teaching staff and to solving concrete problems quickly.

The situation of temporary contract teachers remains particularly concerning. They now ensure a substantial part of the functioning of our school system. Due to the teacher shortage, they currently cover around 25% of teaching hours. Yet many of them work in permanent insecurity, moving from one fixed-term contract to the next. A school cannot remain stable in the long term if a significant part of its staff is replaced year after year.

Finally, we must speak honestly about the real working conditions of teachers. A large part of what constitutes high-quality teaching—preparation, assessment, differentiation, teamwork, and meetings with parents—takes place in the evenings or at weekends. This is not acceptable. A modern school therefore requires a more realistic and contemporary definition of a teacher’s workload.

There is no miracle solution. But there are concrete and achievable pathways forward. Perhaps we should stop announcing ever new reforms and instead systematically evaluate, consolidate, and improve those already in place.

For the quality of a school is not measured by reforms on paper. It is measured by the people who open the door to their classroom every morning.