Letter to the House of Representatives: tackle problems in mbo.

Letter to the House of Representatives: tackle problems in mbo.

On May 28, the House of Representatives debates mbo and student finance. Ahead of this debate, Ouders & Onderwijs, together with other parent organizations, sent a letter to the House of Representatives. More attention is needed for the quality of mbo and the position of students and their parents.

Too many young people drop out

One of the biggest concerns is the number of students who leave mbo without a diploma. In the school year 2023-2024, this was more than 22,000 young people. Especially students who enter from havo 4 drop out relatively often.

According to Ouders & Onderwijs, the cause often does not lie with ‘early hiring‘ by employers, but rather in the education itself. Students stop, for example, due to a wrong study choice, poor guidance, problems with internships, or disappointment in the program.

In the letter, we call on politics to ensure better guidance at mbo schools, more support for internships, and more attention to a good study choice.

Quality of education under pressure

There are also concerns about the quality of education. A large part of mbo programs was recently rated insufficient. At the same time, there are plans that could lead to fewer teaching hours supervised by qualified teachers.

In addition, we see that subjects like Dutch and math are not always taught by teachers with the proper qualifications. That is worrying, because basic skills are essential for further work and society.

Unequal costs for parents

Parents of minor mbo students still often pay school costs themselves. Think of teaching materials, but also costs for facilities that are free in secondary education.

They find that incomprehensible. Education for minors must be free, regardless of whether a student is in havo, vwo, or mbo. We therefore advocate for equal treatment of mbo students.

Binding study advice: more clarity needed

We regularly receive signals that binding study advice in mbo is unclear and sometimes applied arbitrarily. Students are not always assessed based on objective study results, and the procedure is often not transparent.

This especially affects students who need extra support. We ask the House to tighten the rules around binding study advice: make the criteria clearer and ensure a fair procedure.

More attention for parent involvement

Nearly 100,000 minor students start mbo every year. Yet the role of parents is still limited there. That is a missed opportunity, because especially at this stage, parents can play an important role in motivation, study progress, and preventing dropout.

We advocate for more attention to parent involvement. Make sure parents know where they can go with questions and actively involve them in their child’s education, especially if there are extra support needs.