Do all the children go to school together? This won't happen for a while

In Eindhoven, at De Corinar primary school, students with and without disabilities go to school together for ten years. This way, children can always go to school close to home. In Hoogeveen, under the name Eduwiek, 2,200 students from various regular and special education schools receive lessons under one roof. Each school has its own place within the building, and training areas such as the teaching kitchen are shared.

These examples of so-called “inclusive” education come from a letter sent by outgoing Minister Marielle Bull (Primary and Secondary Education, VVD) to the House of Representatives earlier this month. “There is a growing group of pioneers who are taking steps forward toward inclusive education,” she wrote enthusiastically. She hopes more schools will follow these examples.

But there are doubts among the parties that will form the new government about this pursuit of universal education, as became clear during a debate in Parliament on Wednesday. Claudia van Zanten (BBB) ​​said the minister cited “very beautiful examples” and “fully understands the ambition to offer as many students as possible education close to home by 2035.” She added that the matter is complicated for schools. “We therefore question the long-term approach to inclusive education that the Minister took in her recent letter to Parliament.” According to her, universal education in 2035 is an “illusion.” “We have to stay realistic.” For some students, specialized education remains “desirable.” The PVV and the National Security Council also think this way.

House sitters

Of the 100 children who go to school in the Netherlands, three of them now go to private school. This number is supposed to reach zero by 2035, which was the goal under the Rutte government. However, this trend has reversed in recent years: an increasing number of children do not go to a regular primary or secondary school but to a special or secondary education school. This now concerns more than 73,000 students out of 2.4 million.

Moreover, more and more children are dropping out of school for long periods of time. Reported numbers vary because there is no consistent definition for the term “homeschoolers,” but according to the Engrado Association of School Attendance Officials, the number may be more than 50,000 students.

A deep understanding of the causes of this problem is limited, although a recent report by the Dutch Autistic Association (NVA) shows that a large proportion of those sitting at home are made up of students with autism. That would be at least 4,000.

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Margaret Culverbauer, children's ombudsman, is concerned about the lack of “urgency” in policy when it comes to people staying at home. I sent an urgent message to the minister last month. She says in her explanation: “If you do not know the nature, extent and cause of failure, you will not be able to actually address such a problem properly.”

She believes the problem is being handled in the wrong way. “We are now looking for solutions tailored to children who have left school. But it does not start there. We have to ensure that children do not drop out of school. We need to achieve a good educational situation for as many children as possible in the Netherlands. School must be a safe place for all children.”

This was also the idea behind the so-called “appropriate education”, which was introduced ten years ago as a kind of gateway to comprehensive education. Students who need additional support should get it more quickly, close to home, preferably in mainstream education. This will not only be better for the children, but will also save costs.

Waiting lists

The Education Inspectorate identified last month in its annual report State education A bleak picture of proper education. Mainstream schools still do not offer enough tailored solutions for students who need extra support, and there are waiting lists for specialist education. The inspectorate describes the situation as “worrying.”

The same gloom can be heard in the House of Representatives. MP Ant Gili Soebor said the idea of ​​providing education for all students close to home was “taken from the heart” by the NSC, but “what we are seeing is that adequate education is reaching the end of its capabilities”. “It doesn't work well for either the student or the teacher.” He did not understand why the minister was still increasing his ambition. She said it was a misunderstanding that she wanted to abolish specialized education. But the number of students who go there should be reduced.

It was not clear before the debate what the incoming government of the FFP, NSC, FFP and the BBB itself planned to do with proper education. In the main agreement Hope, courage and pride It only states: “We care about appropriate and special education.” Opposition parties GroenLinks-PvdA and SP accuse the new coalition of criticizing but offering no concrete plans, except for cuts in education. Soibpor said no cuts would be made to proper education. There is also no money, because “money is not the answer.”

“Educational obsolescence”

BBB strives, among other things, to create smaller class sizes, solve the problem of teacher shortages, and integrate knowledge from special education into regular education. VVD wants to make educational materials accessible to students with disabilities. Member of Parliament Dan De Court, himself almost blind, announced a private member's bill.

According to the Freedom Party, the problems in education were certainly due to the “need for innovation” of previous governments. MP Patrick van der Hoof said his party was striving to “end educational obsolescence” and “re-evaluate robust teaching in classrooms where teachers have control”. These should be “strong teachers” who “provide structure, order and discipline.”

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