House of Representatives speaks about mbo: tuition fees and flow to higher professional education.

House of Representatives speaks about mbo: tuition fees and flow to higher professional education.

The House of Representatives debated on January 23 with Minister Bruins (education) about mbo. In December there was already longer talk about mbo in the House. Members of parliament could make proposals by motions to change things in mbo. We list the main points.

Repayment of tuition fees 

At the moment, higher professional education and university students get back part of the tuition fee they pay for their course if they stop the course earlier. This does not apply to mbo students. They lose the full amount then. Ouders & Onderwijs has advocated for years to equalize this and to also pay mbo students back the tuition fee proportionally if they decide to stop a course earlier, for example because another course suits them better. 

Member of Parliament Tseggai (GreenLeft-PvdA) submitted together with the parties DENK and D66 a motion, in which she asked the minister to arrange equal treatment between mbo and higher professional education. The minister did not want this, however. He said that this measure would cost 25 million euros and that he cannot arrange the money. The House will vote later on the motion and can then decide to force the minister to arrange it after all. Ouders & Onderwijs continues to advocate removing this inequality. 

Concerns about bill fewer compulsory lessons

The NSC party group is concerned about the bill Improvement connection vocational education-labor market (Vaba) of the minister. The bill arranges that mbo students have to follow fewer statutory compulsory lessons under supervision of a qualified teacher. According to the minister, this creates more space for practical experience and projects. Member of parliament Soepboer (NSC) is concerned because he thinks there is a risk that there will be too few contact hours between qualified teachers and students. 

Flow to higher professional education 

At the VVD there are concerns about the flow of mbo students to higher professional education. According to member of parliament Martens-America (VVD) too many former mbo students fail to get a diploma in higher professional education. She has therefore asked the minister to investigate how the rules about the transfer from mbo to higher professional education are exactly explained and applied by the government. This could create a risk that students feel too much pressure to go to higher professional education while it does not suit them.