The day before the fall of the Rutte IV cabinet, Minister of Education Robbert Dijkgraaf sent a letter to the House of Representatives. This time with proposals aimed at narrowing the gap between MBO on the one hand and HBO and the university on the other.
Dijkgraaf wants to amend laws and regulations, entitle MBO students to the same facilities and discounts and offer them access to introduction weeks.
Using the vocabulary that has become common in Dutch education, you could say that it is one minor issue is. Small enough to be settled caretaker.
Vocational education forms the backbone of our society, the minister writes after years of investing in the knowledge economy: “We need craftsmanship and practical skills more than ever, for major challenges such as the energy transition.”
That of those challenges is all too true. Last week, Minister Conny Helder announced cutbacks in parental care, because it will become unaffordable due to the aging population – look for the contrast. Earlier, the SER predicted that the growing demand for care will require two million care providers in 2040, mostly with secondary vocational education.
In addition to demographic and economic motives, there are other arguments for the revaluation of MBO. Most important is the pursuit of equality, which started with the French Revolution of 1799 and became a real class struggle, until workers turned into consumers.
Meanwhile, words like low-educated and highly-educated still exist. Add to that the fact that MBO students are more likely to develop health problems and are allowed to retire one year later on average. By that time many a spine is worn out or already buried.
Adjusting laws and regulations as proposed by Dijkgraaf is a good thing, let there be no misunderstanding about that. But, as is often the case, the real work only begins afterwards, in minds and especially in practice. Higher vocational education and university graduates should not lose any sleep over this.