More over-65s on staff in Flanders’ schools
The education minister has confirmed that there are more than 500 people over the age of 65 working in Flanders’ schools
Significant increase
School staff have always been able to work until the end of the school year in which they reached the pensionable age of 65. But since 2009, it has become easier to let retired people continue to work in education.
The number of over-65s in Flemish schools has increased significantly since then, when there were only a few dozen. In 2010-2011, there were 399 over-65s, of whom 141 were retired. In the last school year, there were 520 over-65s.
According to the education ministry, there are a number of reasons. There is the ageing of staff, especially in secondary education, and the system of letting people continue is becoming better known. People may also come back temporarily after their retirement because of specific needs, for example when a school cannot replace a teacher soon enough.
Photo by Ingimage
