News item | 30-01-2023 | 10:00 am
MBO schools with an MBO culture card receive a culture budget from the national government. This allows their students to visit museums, theater performances or a concert, for example. This was announced by Minister Robbert Dijkgraaf (Education) and State Secretary Gunay Uslu (Culture) during a tour with MBO students in the Rijksmuseum. A total of 5 million euros is available for the MBO culture budget.
There will be 10.25 euros on each MBO culture card. Many MBO courses and some municipalities have indicated that they will double that amount. The intention is that students undertake cultural activities as much as possible in class, for example in the context of citizenship education.
The money can be spent at cultural institutions in the Netherlands. In total, more than 1200 cultural institutions are affiliated with the Culture Card. Many of these institutions have developed a specific offer for senior secondary vocational education. This will be a pilot that will be monitored and evaluated over the next two years.
State Secretary Uslu: “Art and culture make you look at things in a different way. It shows you a different perspective. For example, a play can spark a conversation about complicated or sensitive topics. And a photo or painting can confront you with another time. Thanks to this budget and the already existing discount on the MBO culture card, MBO institutions and their students can more easily make use of the wide and special cultural offer in our country. Hopefully this budget on the culture map will help to remove barriers that may sometimes be there. And it stimulates young people to see and experience something new.”
Minister Dijkgraaf: “This credit gives MBO students easier access to the cultural treasuries of the Netherlands. In this way we want to stimulate the curiosity and imagination of students and help them to develop broadly. Not only are MBO students of great importance to the cultural sector, but the knowledge gained in performances and exhibitions also contributes to discussions about social themes that are being discussed in schools. The map will therefore help to strengthen cultural education in secondary vocational education and cooperation between schools and cultural institutions.”
More than 100,000 MBO students are already using the MBO culture card through their school, which allows them to undertake cultural activities. MBO schools interested in participating in the pilot can report to the CJP, the organization that arranges the culture cards for young people on behalf of the cabinet.