Improvement proposals education to informateur.

Improvement proposals education to informateur.

Informateur Mariëtte Hamer received this week a letter with necessary improvement proposals for education. In the letter, Ouders & Onderwijs together with seven other parent organizations call for a maximum class size, a learning right for children, and to make part of the 8.5 billion from the National Program Education structural.

Smaller class and tailored education

In the letter, the parent organizations write that the next cabinet should invest in smaller classes. The government should set a maximum class size. Representative research by Ouders & Onderwijs shows that parents see large classes have a negative effect on learning results. It also affects the feeling of safety at school. Smaller classes have a positive effect. For example, on equal opportunities and reducing learning delays.

Structural extra money

It is also important to invest in the next four years in the 25 improvement measures for tailored education. The current outgoing government presented these in November 2020, but not enough money was allocated. Among other things, to better connect care and education. To pay for smaller classes and improvements for tailored education, part of the money for the National Program Education should become structural.

Legal learning right

The duty to go to school is now set by law. Parents would like this to be different. They want the right for children to learn and develop to be the starting point and for a learning right to be set by law. This means all children should have access to funded education. This aligns with the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Parents’ participation

The parent organizations think the school participation council at schools often has too little power. The cabinet should focus on easy training for school participation council members. And structural support in policy and legal areas. The legal position of individual parents is also too weak, according to the letter writers. The organizations want parents to find legal advice more easily and get help with mediation.

Free tutoring and digital learning tools

The parent organizations see that the wallet and education level of parents play a big role in a child’s educational chances. The Education Inspectorate has noticed this earlier. Tutoring and exam training are not affordable for every child. And not every child has good working digital learning tools available. The parent organizations suggest making tablets and laptops, as well as school books, available free of charge.

For more information, read the full letter. For a handy overview, consult the factsheet.

The following eight parent organizations sent the letter. Ouders & Onderwijs, the Reformed Parent Association, Association Public Education, Ouders010, Parent Association Balans, Foundation For Working Parents, Education Consumers Organization Amsterdam and the Network Parent Initiatives.