The chance that Drenthe College and Terra will merge has become a lot greater. Outgoing education minister Robbert Dijkgraaf (D66) has approved the intention of both schools to merge.
The merger plans of Drenthe College and Terra, which provide preparatory and secondary vocational education, were announced in December last year. The reason for a merger is a declining number of students in the future, combined with a changing labor market.
The boards will merge on January 1 next year, and the schools will merge from the new school year (August 1, 2024). The umbrella name of the new institution is DCTerra. The names of the schools remain the same. “Initially, little will change for pupils, students, parents and caregivers,” write Drenthe College and Terra.
“We expect that together we can respond better to developments in our region and maintain a broad range of education,” the schools explain.
“Together we are more attractive to pupils, students and as employers, we promote equality of opportunity and progression from pre-vocational secondary education to secondary vocational education and higher professional education and we respond more forcefully to the challenges arising from issues such as sustainability and the labor market.”