The Dutch Education Crisis (Explainer)

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Detailed Briefing: The Deteriorating State of Dutch Education

This briefing summarizes the critical issues facing the Dutch education system as presented by Ad Verbrugge, Associate Professor at Vrije Universiteit and Chairman of Beter Onderwijs Nederland (Better Education Netherlands). Verbrugge paints a stark picture of decline, attributing it to systemic failures, misguided policies, and a shift away from fundamental educational principles.
I. Overall Assessment: "Outright Bad and Very Worrying"

Ad Verbrugge unequivocally states that the current state of Dutch education is "bad, outright, very worrying" and demonstrably due to "failing policy for years on end." This decline is not recent but has been accumulating over the past 20-30 years, with a significant "plummeting" trend observed after 2010.
II. Key Problems and Contributing Factors:
A. Worsening Literacy and Language Proficiency

Dramatic Decline: The percentage of functionally illiterate individuals (those unable to read a newspaper due to complex sentences and multi-syllabic words) has risen sharply:
2000: 1 in 10
2006: 1 in 7 (when Beter Onderwijs Nederland was founded due to concern over this trend)
2019: 1 in 4
2022: 1 in 3
Impact on 15-Year-Olds: "One in three 15-year-old students in the Netherlands of the entire population has insufficient reading skills." This refers to native Dutch children, not just recent immigrants.
Causes of Declining Literacy:Inadequate Teacher Training (PABOs): Teachers are "insufficiently trained."
Flawed Didactics: Schools do not apply "responsible didactics," specifically lacking "explicit direct instruction" (show-and-do, practice, correction). The traditional method of teaching letters, syllables, and words is neglected.
Impact of Migration: While not solely responsible, migration plays a role, with a disproportionate number of students with a migration background in these statistics, particularly those who don't speak Dutch at home and whose parents cannot provide support.
No Retention Policies: The system no longer allows children to repeat grades, even when they have significant language deficits. This means children with the language level of a seven-year-old are pushed through to secondary education (VMBO), where their issues often worsen.
MBO (Vocational Education) Quality Decline: The level in MBO, especially "kaderonderwijs" (practical professions), has been "enormously abandoned."