Administrative burden in primary education

For many years, teachers have been complaining that the time they spend on administrative tasks is one of the main causes of their heavy workload. This can have serious consequences for the profession’s attractiveness. If the workload persuades them to choose a different career, there will be an even greater shortage of teachers. And if teachers spend a lot of time on administrative tasks, they will have less time for other important tasks, such as preparing lessons.

What are we auditing?

We want to determine whether the indications of an excessive administrative burden are symptomatic of a wider problem. How much time do teachers actually spend on administrative tasks? Are there differences among schools and type of teacher? What is being administered? Who is asking teachers to carry out administrative tasks? And what is the administrative information used for?

Why are we carrying out this audit?

The shortage of teachers is currently one of the most pressing threats to the quality of education in the Netherlands. This audit will reveal how heavy the teachers’ administrative burden is, its causes and the educational benefits of administrative tasks. This will help schools, school boards, the inspectorate, the ministry and other stakeholders improve the choices they take on what administrative tasks are really needed. This in turn could reduce the teachers’ workload.

Do you want to take part in this audit?

The Court of Audit invites you to share any information you may have that would benefit our audit. We appreciate all contributions, knowledge and experience you may care to share with us on this topic. Simply send an email to bijdrage@rekenkamer.nl.

We read all emails carefully and treat them in confidence. However, we are not able to reply to every contribution we receive.