The €150m earmarked by education minister Jet Bussemaker two years ago for young teachers is being spent on other things, according to the AOb teaching union.

In 2013, the government allocated €150m to help 3,000 young teachers into work or to keep them in work.

According to the AOb, schools are not use the money to create job opportunities but to plug gaps in their budgets.

‘The figures make clear that there were no new jobs in primary education,’ the union’s Liesbeth Verheggen told broadcaster Nos. ‘That was the reason for us to find out where the money is going.’

Verheggen says the money is being used to pay high unemployment costs caused by a drop in pupil numbers and high unemployment.

She wants the minister to take action. ‘The leaking away of hundreds of millions from primary education has led to even larger classes and a loss in quality,’ she told the Nos.