Care Admin and Smartschool Top Teachers’ Paperwork Burden, Survey Finds
A survey of 2,346 teachers in Flanders has identified care administration (zorgadministratie) and the Smartschool digital platform as the leading sources of administrative burden, reigniting concerns about teacher workload and retention in Belgian education. The findings, published Friday by Het Laatste Nieuws, come as 124 selected teachers prepare to gather at the Flemish Parliament on Saturday for the first-ever “Council of Teachers” (Raad van Onderwijzers).
The Survey Results
Conducted by the cabinet of Flemish Minister of Education Zuhal Demir (N-VA), the survey asked teachers to identify the administrative tasks that consume the most time. In both primary and secondary education, care administration ranked first. For primary school teachers, the main burdens include observation files (observatiemappen), forms for multidisciplinary consultations, and reports for the CLB (Centre for Pupil Guidance). In secondary schools, the paperwork stems primarily from individual guidance trajectories and support measures for students with learning difficulties.
Communication with parents, meetings and consultations, and digital systems like Smartschool were also cited as major sources of frustration. Teachers reported having to enter information endlessly — and sometimes doubly — into these platforms, according to reporting by VRT NWS. The survey produced two top-10 lists — one for primary and one for secondary education — with care administration topping both.
The Council of Teachers
The survey results were published just one day before the first meeting of the Raad van Onderwijzers, an initiative announced by Minister Demir in April. On Saturday, June 6, 124 selected teachers will convene in the Koepelzaal of the Flemish Parliament from 10:00 to 16:30 to discuss concrete solutions for reducing planlast. The council was first proposed by Demir in the Education Committee on April 2, where she described it as a “planlastparlement” — a parliament for paperwork burden.
Interest in the initiative has been overwhelming. More than 2,300 teachers applied for the 124 available seats, as reported by N-VA parliament member Manu Diericx. “For N-VA it has long been clear: everything that does not contribute to good teaching must be scrapped,” Diericx said. “What is useful in the classroom can stay, but what has no impact must urgently be scrapped.”
Minister Demir’s Response
Minister Demir acknowledged the complexity of the problem, telling TVL that “paperwork burden doesn’t flow from one tap.” She noted that it stems from Flemish regulations, school-level agreements, care procedures, and habits grown over the years. “The time you put into the paper mill is time you cannot invest in students,” Demir said.
After the Council of Teachers session, Demir has committed to working with the signals that emerge from the consultation, with the goal of addressing planlast at every level — from the government down to educational umbrella organizations. The initiative reflects her broader education agenda focused on improving educational quality and reducing bureaucratic obstacles.
Broader Context: A System Under Strain
The planlast survey is the latest development in a wider tension within Flemish education. In late May, more than 1,300 school directors sent an open letter to Minister Demir criticizing the pace of reforms, lack of consultation, and growing administrative burden. Coordinating director Guy Voets, speaking on behalf of the signatories, told VRT NWS that the reforms were being implemented too quickly and without adequate input from the classroom level. Demir met with a delegation and promised more informal consultation.
The issue of planlast has been a persistent concern in Flemish education for over 20 years. Multiple studies and initiatives have sought to reduce it, but teachers continue to report high levels of administrative work that takes time away from actual teaching. The problem is compounded by parallel reforms including new minimum educational goals, changes to evaluation policies, and the introduction of induction measures for beginning teachers — all of which generate additional paperwork.
Smartschool: A Double-Edged Sword
Smartschool, the dominant digital learning management system used in Flemish schools, has become a particular point of contention. While designed to streamline communication between teachers, students, and parents, and to handle grade registration and attendance tracking, teachers report that the platform requires redundant data entry and contributes significantly to their administrative burden. The survey results suggest that the digital solution intended to reduce paperwork has, in practice, added to it.
Analysis and Implications
The confluence of the survey results, the Council of Teachers initiative, and the school directors’ open letter points to a growing consensus across Flemish education that administrative burden has reached a critical point. Teachers and directors alike are calling for meaningful reduction, not just further study.
Successful reduction of planlast could improve teacher job satisfaction and potentially aid retention in a profession facing acute shortages. Failure to deliver meaningful change, however, could further erode trust between the education ministry and the educators it depends on. The political stakes are significant for Minister Demir, whose reform agenda depends on buy-in from the teachers and directors who must implement it.
What’s Next
The Council of Teachers meeting on June 6 is expected to produce concrete proposals for reducing administrative burden. Whether Minister Demir will implement these recommendations — and how quickly — remains an open question. The outcome could have significant implications for teacher job satisfaction and retention in a profession already facing shortages across Flanders.
As the minister herself acknowledged: “We need to think outside the box and cut what is not useful. I need your help with that.” The teachers, it seems, are ready to provide it.