Robbert Dijkgraaf calls it a ‘fan visit’. What it boils down to is that the outgoing Minister of Education, Culture and Science is coming to take a look at the country. Monday in Emmen, where NHL Stenden and Drenthe College want to build a new vocational education campus together with the municipality of Emmen.
Better cooperation between multiple educational levels will make it possible to tackle contemporary problems, such as declining student numbers and differences in prosperity and future prospects. The vision of the joint approach is in line with that of the minister, who is also a strong supporter of so-called ‘continuous learning paths’.
“To meet the major challenges of our time, education must be even more integrated,” says Dijkgraaf. “MBO, HBO and scientific education can learn from each other.”
In Emmen, secondary vocational education, higher professional education and university education work intensively with government and business. ‘Emmen’, led by CdK Jetta Klijnsma, wanted to tell that story to Dijkgraaf to make the minister enthusiastic about the plans. Dijkgraaf had lunch at Stones (the student-run restaurant) and visited three different locations, where he was updated by teachers and students about education, research and business.