News item | 03-02-2025 | 09:30
From today, primary schools and secondary schools can again apply for a subsidy to better teach students to read, write and calculate. This subsidy has been made available since the end of 2022 by the Ministry of Education Culture and Science (OCW), and with that more than 1.5 million students have already been reached. With this last subsidy round, the ministry wants to get another 1 million students extra support to strengthen the basic skills. The aim is to reach a total of 95% of all students in primary and secondary education. In order to continue to work on better reading, writing and math skills, from 2027 a new form of funding will be replaced by the subsidy: the targeted funding.
Go through
State Secretary Mariëlle Paul (Fundend Education and Emancipation): “More and more schools are making extra work of reading, writing and calculating. Everything to ensure that their students master those crucial skills. Very good! Because this is a long -term case, our attention is not allowed to relax. That is why we continue to support schools, also in the longer term. “
Subsidy improvement Basic skills
In the fourth and final subsidy round, a total of 512 million euros are available for schools that have not previously received a subsidy from the Basic Skills Master Plan, 615 euros per student. With this money, schools can, for example, organize training courses for teachers, appoint a language or calculated coordinator, purchase specific learning resources or ensure that students receive extra lessons or math lessons.
Schools that have received a judgment ‘very weak’ or ‘insufficient’ from the Education Inspectorate are specifically approached to submit a grant application.
The subsidy is at least deployed by schools on language or mathematics and, where necessary, also on digital literacy or citizenship.
Bone
The last progress report of the Basic Skills Master Plan at the end of last year showed that schools are going up the way when it comes to the learning performance of students on the basic skills. The majority of primary education schools in particular experience noticeable progress among their students. At the same time, the urgency remains great to improve this performance, especially in secondary education.
Targeted funding
In order to be able to continue to work on this, from January 1, 2027, schools will receive money through a new form of funding, the targeted funding. All schools in primary and secondary education then automatically receive money for improving reading, writing and math skills. Schools no longer have to apply for this. That saves them time and administration. After five years it is checked whether the targeted funding should be extended or can be added to the regular funding. The bill that arranges this has recently been in consultation gone.
State Secretary Paul: “I want to be sure that extra money is actually spent on what it is meant for. This is possible with targeted funding. Moreover, schools give more certainty how much money they have to spend and they can make plans for the longer term. ”
Subsidies
The targeted funding thus contributes to reducing the number of subsidies for schools, as the cabinet has agreed in the Outline Agreement. In the meantime, together with representatives from the educational field, ways are also being looked at to reduce the number of subsidies. This is included in the elaboration of the Quality Education Recovery Plan. In some situations, subsidies will remain necessary to temporarily give a short -term boost to groups of schools.