News item | 08-06-2023 | 5:17 pm
Minister Carola Schouten (Poverty Policy, Participation and Pensions) is making eight million euros available this year to, among other things, train teachers who teach students about money matters. The scheme will be available first for MBO schools after the summer and in 2024 also for primary and secondary education. It is one of the measures in the government-wide action plan to reduce money worries, poverty and debt.
A start is made at MBO schools because a relatively large number of MBO students become financially independent during their studies. In addition, research by Nibud shows that more than a quarter of MBO students have to deal with payment arrears or debts. Schools have the option of applying for a subsidy for a longer period, with which they can, for example, offer their own teachers a training or hire or exempt employees. The intention is for teachers to fit the money lessons into existing teaching programmes.
Minister Schouten:
When you turn eighteen, a lot is coming your way. You must take out health insurance, you may be able to apply for a healthcare allowance or rent allowance and receive a student grant. We see that for many young people and their parents it is not clear what they have to arrange, and that this causes young people to miss out on money and get into financial difficulties. I think it is very important that they learn good financial skills and also learn about the risks of, for example, investing with crypto or online gambling. And that young people know that there is help if things go wrong. There are many people, at school, in the neighborhood or at organizations such as Geldfit who can help. So tell us if you have money problems. You are not the only one with questions and not the first to get into trouble because of an overpriced purchase. That’s where the lessons about money help.
Shorter BKR registration of debt assistance process
After an intensive debt relief process, people should be able to get on with their lives as soon as possible with a clean slate. Therefore, partly at the request of the House of Representatives, the government wants to shorten the BKR registration of debt assistance to six months for people who have successfully completed a debt assistance process. This registration is currently still valid for five years and can mean that people cannot obtain credit, for example to take out a loan or a mortgage for a home.
Also, as of July 1, the repayment term of debt restructuring processes via the municipality and the court will be halved to 18 months. In this way, people pay off their debts more quickly and more people can start a debt counseling process. This is expected to lower the threshold for debt assistance.
Extra resources for tackling child poverty in schools
In reducing poverty, the government is also committed to strengthening the participation and development of children. Minister Schouten has awarded a subsidy of more than six million euros to the Youth Education Fund for the period up to and including 2026, with which it can reach more children in poverty through primary schools. Schools can request school supplies or tutoring for students through the Youth Education Fund. The subsidy to Sam& (a collaboration of Leergeld Nederland, Jeugdfonds Sport & Cultuur, Nationaal Fonds Kinderhulp and Stichting Jarige Job) has been increased this year by 4.5 million euros (to 14.5 million euros) so that more children have the opportunity to participate in to do, inside and outside of school. Sam& focuses on children’s participation, for example through sports and music lessons or a birthday package.
Action plan money worries, poverty and debts
The measures to combat poverty and debt are part of a multi-year approach to money worries, poverty and debt that the government started in July 2022. This consists of forty actions and aims to halve the number of children growing up in poverty in 2025 compared to 2015, to halve the total number of people in poverty and to halve the number of households in problematic debts. in 2023 compared to 2015. Minister Schouten has presented the first progress report to the House, which lists all the measures that have been taken so far.
The government is aware that, partly as a result of the exceptionally high inflation, a great deal of effort is still required to achieve the objectives of the action plan. It looks at targeted measures for next year to support vulnerable households, keeping the aim to reduce the number of people in poverty and indebtedness. The cabinet will make a decision on this in August.