Support plans minister for tailored education.
This week members of parliament debated with minister Slob about the evaluation of tailored education. The minister received wide support for his improvement plan. It contains many ideas proposed by parents. So, in every Partnership Tailored Education there will be a support point for parents, the minister will establish the right to education, and there will be more supervision of the Partnerships Tailored Education.
There was appreciation for the minister’s approach. Members of parliament recognized many proposals and suggestions they had made in recent years. A common question was: why only now? Member of parliament Lisa Westerveld (GroenLinks) said: ‘We have seen that tailored education was not going in the right direction. And when you name this in debates together, I also think it shows good governance to say: we will intervene earlier.’ Minister Slob had all along said he wanted to wait for the evaluation. That is now here and minister Slob clearly recognizes the pain and frustration of parents and the fact that teachers have had it very hard.
System Stands
The minister presented 25 improvement proposals but keeps the system of tailored education intact. The majority of the House of Representatives supports this. All parties still hope for additional adjustments. For example, Paul van Meenen (D66) brought an initiative to include the right to education in the law. Kirsten van den Hul (PvdA) wants independent supervision of the Partnerships Tailored Education and that the support point for parents is truly independent. She asked the minister to help and involve parents and parent organizations in the support points and to align these with regional initiatives. Westerveld finds the classes too crowded, the teacher shortage too large, and the workload too high. ‘Let’s not wait too long to implement those measures,’ she said. Peter Kwint (SP) was the most outspoken: ‘Tailored education has failed.’ He called for smaller classes and a different system. More responsibility should lie with teachers and we should ask what they need, so there is less bureaucracy. Rudmer Heerema (VVD) paid special attention to gifted students and the lack of education for these students.
Tailored
Before the debate, Ouders & Onderwijs together with parent organizations Balans and Ieder(in) and with support from eight other parent organizations sent a letter to members of parliament. In it, we asked for attention for homebound students and more space for alternative forms of education. Various members of parliament asked questions about this. Roelof Bisschop (SGP) noted that laws and regulations sometimes stand in the way. Kwint urged the minister to speed up and support existing initiatives as much as possible. Westerveld shared that view and asked for recognition of the Together-To-School classes. She also discussed again with the minister the budget available for homebound students, which is now spent on truancy policy. Eppo Bruins (Christian Union) and Bisschop pointed out bottlenecks in cooperation between education and care and asked the minister how he plans to solve this. Michel Rog (CDA) asked questions about distance education and who is responsible for it.
Basic Support
Some members of parliament were unhappy about basic support. Kwint proposed to develop a national basic standard and that standard is still not available. Kwint: ‘It would have been logical if there had been a widely supported proposal for basic support so we could have immediately implemented that improvement instead of in 2021 or 2022. That was wasted time, right?’ The minister stated that a worked-out basic standard will be ready next summer as a minimum that schools must meet.
Inclusive Education
The minister announced a route to more inclusive education in his plans. This has broad support from the House. Some members of parliament asked how this route will look. The general trend was to focus on further integration of special education within regular education. The expertise of special education must be maintained. Concerns were raised about waiting lists in special education. The minister thinks this is not as bad and more related to fixed registration moments. Van den Hul asked for insight into the waiting lists.
Follow-up
Motions will be voted on Tuesday, November 24. In the coming months, the improvement plans will be further developed. Ouders & Onderwijs will contribute actively as much as possible and continue to follow developments.
Questions And More Information
For questions about tailored education, you can call our advice point at 088-6050101. Our staff are available on working days from 9:30 to 12:30 and from 13:00 to 16:00 or by email at vraag@oudersenonderwijs.nl
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Read moreMeer informatie
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