The social affairs ministry is to look into the possibility of asking retired teachers back to work to solve the growing shortage of teachers, reports today’s Volkskrant.

The ministry is to work together with the civil service pension fund ABP and the consultancy Cinop in September to look into ways teachers who accepted early retirement could be brought back into the class room. But the ministry stresses that no political decision has been taken on the issue.
Many ex-teachers may regret taking early retirement, said Peter IJsenbrant of Cinop. ‘Once all their wishes have been fulfilled, the big trip taken, the house painted, the question is often: what now? Some of these people may be happy to go back to work,’ IJsbrant told the Volkskrant.
The education ministry says the shortage of teachers in primary and secondary schools will be between 1,100 and 3,000 in three years time.