Parents find Mbo important, but do not know how to join the conversation.

Parents find Mbo important, but do not know how to join the conversation.

Vocational education plays an important role in our society. Yet many parents feel that vocational education still receives less appreciation than higher professional education or university. Many parents also do not know that they can influence the policy of their child's vocational school through a parent council. This appears from a recent survey by Ouders & Onderwijs among members of the Landelijk Ouderpanel.

An unfair negative image

Many parents believe that vocational education plays an important and indispensable role in society. Yet 39% of parents in the research think that other parents in the Netherlands have a fairly negative view of vocational education. According to them, parents want the best for their child, but higher professional education or university is still often seen as a more successful route. 

“Vocational education is often still seen as a ‘low’ level education, despite the necessity of such jobs to keep society running,” says one of the parents in the research. At the same time, parents also see positive developments. Almost three out of ten parents (29%) have the impression that the image of vocational education is actually improving. They notice that there is increasing appreciation for practically trained professionals and that parents better see the opportunities a vocational education offers. 

Joining the conversation about school policy in the parent council

At primary and secondary schools, parents can think along about school policy via the school participation council. At vocational schools, this is possible through a parent council. Yet many parents do not know that this option exists. Seven out of ten parents (70%) indicate that they do not know they can join the conversation about policy at a vocational school through a parent council. This is remarkable because parents themselves influence the existence of a parent council. A vocational school is required to set up a parent council when at least 25 parents request it. 

Uncertainty about the parent council

Even parents with a child at vocational school often do not know if their school has a parent council. As much as 81% of them indicate they do not know if a parent council is active at their child’s school. For many parents, it is unclear whether and how they can think along on topics important to their child. In the survey responses, some parents say they would like to be more involved by the vocational school. 

About this survey

Three hundred sixty-eight parents with children aged 15 to 23 years participated in this survey. The results are statistically weighted. This makes them representative by cultural background. The results are not representative by gender and education level.  

Would you also like to join the conversation about important school topics? Then sign up for the Landelijk Ouderpanel. Participation is easy and takes little time.