The number of teachers giving lessons at Dutch secondary schools in subjects they are not qualified to teach rose in 2009 for the first time in years, according to research by Trouw.

Over 18% of secondary school lessons are now conducted by teachers without qualifications in their subject, compared with almost 17% in previous years.
The research also shows the number of teaching vacancies fell last year for the first time in years. The turnaround appears to be down to the greater use of teachers without the right papers, Trouw said.
Sjoerd Slagter, chairman of the secondary schools association VO, told the paper there is nothing wrong with an unqualified teacher giving lessons in a certain subject, if he or she is capable of teaching it.
‘No-one would be opposed to a physics teacher giving chemistry lessons to lower school pupils,’ he said. However, allowing teachers to switch subjects would not solve the teacher shortage, which is extremely worrying in the big cities, he said.