Parent advisory council discusses broad first-year classes.

Parent advisory council discusses broad first-year classes.

On Wednesday 16 June, the Parent Advisory Council of Ouders & Onderwijs met for the third time. This council consists of regional and national parent organizations and advises Ouders & Onderwijs on content direction and cooperation opportunities. Two main topics were on the agenda: the joint lobby on behalf of parents and the advice of the Education Council on broad first-year classes.

Joint Lobby Activities

In the past period, parent organizations worked together regularly to make the voice of parents strong. Letters have been sent to the House of Representatives about the National Education Program and the corona approach. In addition, the parent organizations jointly sent a letter to informateur Mariëtte Hamer with suggestions for improvements in education. During the Parent Advisory Council meeting, there was reflection and looking ahead. We see that the joint approach is paying off. For the future, it was agreed to see which topics are urgent for parents and, where possible, work together on these.

Advice Education Council on Broad First-Year Classes

A recent advice from the Education Council concerns a three-year equal first-year class for all students. The goal is to increase equality of opportunity by selecting later and offering more chances to late bloomers. The parent organizations agree that all children deserve equal chances in education. However, they wonder if this advice is the right answer to the question at hand. And if within the current system, there are much faster and more effective solutions. Moreover, there are doubts about whether such a system change is desirable in the coming years. Finally, parent organizations find it a missed opportunity that parents, teachers, and students were not involved in creating the advice.

About the Parent Advisory Council

This Parent Advisory Council meeting included representatives from Voor Werkende Ouders, the Reformatorische Oudervereniging, Oudervereniging Balans, Ouders010, OCO Amsterdam, the Network of Parent Initiatives, and the Vereniging Openbaar Onderwijs (observer). The Parent Advisory Council of Ouders & Onderwijs was established in 2020 and meets three times a year.