News item | 17-11-2022 | 4:45 pm
Schools and educational institutions have been working hard for a whole year now to help their pupils and students with the consequences of the corona crisis. This yields various results, according to the latest progress report of the National Program for Education. Teachers also see that some pupils and students are less motivated and have more difficulty learning. Ministers of Education Dijkgraaf and Wiersma write this to the House of Representatives.
Among pupils in primary education and the lower years of secondary school, differences are visible in the test results of the previous school year 2021-2022. When it comes to reading comprehension, pupils in primary school are generally almost up to par. High school English results have improved even more than expected. On the other hand, in some subjects, pupils still made less progress than expected last school year. This is the case for spelling in primary education, arithmetic and mathematics in both primary and secondary education and Dutch in secondary education. Teachers explain the differences because in some subjects, students mainly have to make extra flight hours to catch up on the material, such as reading, and that these extra hours have now been made. In arithmetic-mathematics it is more stacked: if you do not understand part of the material, it is more difficult to master the subsequent material. This therefore requires continued attention from schools.
To feel good
Conversations with school principals and teachers in primary and secondary education also show that pupils sometimes have difficulty learning, are less motivated and have difficulty planning. There are also concerns about how well students feel about themselves. Girls in secondary education in particular score much lower in terms of well-being and concentration than before corona and experience more pressure to perform. Schools are therefore putting extra effort into this, such as with special training courses or extra mentor hours. The good news is that pupils from less fortunate families no longer show the greatest delays in primary education. It is not for nothing that there is extra money for schools with many challenging students. It is important that schools keep track of all their students and also keep an eye out for students who, for example, perform satisfactorily, but fall below their potential.
Use schools
Schools have set to work with enthusiasm on the implementation of the National Education Programme. Schools are succeeding in implementing the plans despite the fact that last school year was not yet a ‘normal’ year due to the pandemic. Schools can spend the money up to and including the 2024/2025 school year. In addition, schools receive extra support from the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science to help students progress even further. For example, schools receive help to keep a good eye on pupils and more practical knowledge about effective ways to update pupils. With the Basic Skills Master Plan, Minister Wiersma has also initiated the next step towards structural improvement of education, with structural funding.
Good progress in implementation
There is good progress in the implementation of the program in secondary vocational education, higher vocational education and at universities. The actions of educational institutions for the recovery and development of education after corona are in full swing. Many students have already been helped to make up for their study delay. It also appears that students’ prospects of work and internships have greatly improved. The number of apprenticeships in secondary vocational education and higher professional education has grown sharply, and the internship shortages have fallen sharply.
Internships
Institutions are also deploying more resources on themes that previously lagged behind: internships in teacher training programs and the shortage of internship positions. Furthermore, more and more researchers with temporary contracts who have been delayed due to corona are being helped. The institutions – just like the students – are happy with the extended duration of the program and expect to be able to spend the resources fully and properly within the new term.
Welfare students
The dropout rate of students without a diploma is a point of attention. Many students opt for a paid job prematurely. Many students also struggle with mental problems, study delays or motivation and concentration problems. They now also have to deal with, among other things, the high cost of living and the tense housing market. These points require a lot of effort from teachers and support staff. The National Education Program provides resources for improving student welfare. In addition, in the administrative agreement with universities and universities of applied sciences, Minister Dijkgraaf has made structural funds available for solving this problem.