language and math level of Dutch children far too low

Dutch children score alarmingly bad when it comes to their language and math level. This is apparent from research by the Education Inspectorate. But there is hope: in two years’ time, the level must be raised considerably.

More and more children are leaving school without being able to read or write well, the Inspectorate writes in an annual survey. But there is hope. Both Sweden and Ireland were in just as bad a position as the Netherlands years ago, but are now among the top in Europe.

Huge teacher shortage

Maths, reading and writing should be given more priority, but that is easier said than done. There is a huge shortage of teachers and school leaders and a lot of energy and time is spent on that.

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In Sweden and Ireland, hard work was done to improve the level of teachers, including through an eight-day course. Teachers disseminated the knowledge gained from that course in their own field of work and so the overall level went up. And not only did the knowledge improve, the job satisfaction and self-confidence of the teachers also increased.

Plan

The Education Inspectorate can only advise, but if the goals are not achieved, the consequences will mainly be for the children. Minister of Primary and Secondary Education Dennis Wiersma acknowledges the problem and announced that there will be a plan before the summer to raise the level.

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