Ouders & Onderwijs in conversation with the House of Representatives about parent involvement in mbo.

Ouders & Onderwijs in conversation with the House of Representatives about parent involvement in mbo.

Parent involvement in mbo, parent councils and school costs. That and more was discussed by Ouders & Onderwijs on April 10 during the mbo roundtable with the House of Representatives. This conversation covered several issues. Ouders & Onderwijs was present to share experiences, signals and research results about these themes.

Parent involvement important for students’ study success 

Parent involvement is very important for the study success of mbo students. Mbo students with involved parents quit their education less often. Parents also want to be more involved in their children’s education, but are currently kept at a distance by the school. 

Lack of parent councils in mbo 

Another topic was the lack of parent councils at mbo schools. These councils should give parents a voice in school policy, but currently these councils are (almost) absent. It would be good if mbo schools did more to involve parents. Right now parents are often only asked to help when problems already exist, and that is actually too late. 

School costs must come down 

For parents of mbo students, costs can add up a lot. Think of work clothes, tools and other items needed for the education. Especially for underage students these costs are high. Although steps have been taken to reimburse certain costs, all costs for underage mbo students should be reimbursed. This way every student has equal chances. 

Tailored education falls short 

There are also concerns about students who need extra support. Because not enough guidance or help is given, mbo students quit their education more often. This contributes to the high dropout rate in mbo. It is important that these students get the right help and are not penalized for their support needs. 

Hope for change 

Parents of mbo students hope for improvements. They want more involvement, clearer rules for school costs, improvements in tailored education, active parent councils, and higher education quality. With these signals they want to help create a better mbo, where the interests of students and their parents come first. 

Watch again

Want to watch the whole roundtable again? Then go to debatgemist.tweedekamer.nl.

Watch the full contribution of Patrick Woudstra, mbo theme advisor at Ouders & Onderwijs.