Parent contribution.

Focus point - voluntary parent contribution and school costs.

All children in the Netherlands have the right to free accessible education. The government has the duty of care to provide this. This means parents of children up to 18 years old do not pay school fees. Schools may still ask parents for a voluntary parent contribution for extra activities outside the regular education program. Since 1 August 2021, it is laid down in the law that children must never be excluded from these extra activities, not even if parents cannot or do not want to pay the contribution.

Voluntary parent contribution primary education

Schools can ask parents for a financial contribution. This happens a lot, especially in secondary education. Primary schools ask parents on average for a voluntary contribution of 40 euros per year, for example for the Christmas party, Sinterklaas, and a school trip. Since the new law, paying this contribution can no longer lead to exclusion of children. Everyone can join the school trip and participate in all activities organized by the school. Schools can sometimes depend partly on the parents’ contribution to organize these activities. Sometimes activities cannot continue if the total financial contribution from parents is not enough and the school has not reserved funds.

School costs secondary education

Secondary schools charge many more costs to parents. The yearly costs can quickly reach 500 euros or more. Although these costs are often presented as mandatory, they all fall under the voluntary parent contribution. So a contribution for the school camp, insurance, and other costs is not mandatory. Textbooks are free at all schools. You are not required to buy many services or sign a so-called service agreement.

Profile schools ask for a contribution for various services and activities and often also a voluntary contribution from parents. These are schools with enriched learning paths such as bilingual education, technasium, and LOOT schools. The new law emphasizes that no mandatory parent contribution may be asked for long-term extra curricular activities, only voluntary. Schools may not exclude children whose parents do not pay the voluntary contribution for these extra curricular activities. Examples are bilingual education, sports classes, technasium, dance and music schools, subject colleges, or schools that provide extra Spanish lessons. This also applies to schools that ask for contributions for tutoring, homework guidance, and exam training the school organizes.

Costs for digital learning tools such as laptops

Many schools charge various costs to parents and often there are extra costs. These are costs parents make themselves for their child’s education. Think of digital learning tools, such as laptops, which children need to follow education.

Schools can ask for a contribution for buying a device. Or the school can ask parents to buy a laptop themselves. The same applies as with the voluntary parent contribution; it is voluntary. If a laptop is required at school and parents cannot or do not want to buy one, the school must offer an alternative (for example a loan laptop).

Costs for homework guidance and tutoring

Parents increasingly invest themselves in homework guidance, help to prepare for the final test, or online programs that help with language and arithmetic. In recent years parents spend more on this ‘shadow education’. Reasons vary: high pressure to perform in education, parents have too little time to help their children, or the quality of education is not enough.

What does Ouders & Onderwijs think about the voluntary parent contribution and school costs?

Ouders & Onderwijs thinks all children have the right to free accessible and good quality education. This means it is a social task of education to give all children equal chances. Differentiated education is fine as long as dealing with differences between students does not lead to unequal chances. Offering parent-funded education programs by public schools does not fit here because it may create a quality difference between education with and without parent contribution. This means children of richer parents get better education than other children. This can never be intended and is undesirable. The government funding to schools (the lumpsum) must be enough to provide good quality education for everyone.

Unequal chances

Current developments lead to large unequal chances that show in the short and long term. The education inspectorate wrote in the state of education in 2019: ‘In the past 5 to 10 years, inequality in education has increased. Students with equal results ended up more often at different levels. Their parents’ diploma became more important.’ This is worrying because education is meant as a great equalizer and every child must get equal chances to use their talent. The voluntary parent contribution must not play a role in this.

Limit voluntary parent contribution

Ouders & Onderwijs thinks the voluntary parent contribution should be limited to extras that do not affect education quality. We also think school costs like copying, exams, locker rental, and insurance must be paid by the school. Required digital learning tools should also be part of the lumpsum. We welcome the new law that forbids schools from excluding children when parents do not pay the voluntary parent contribution.

New law from 1 August 2021

From 1 August 2021, the new law will forbid excluding students if parents do not pay the voluntary parent contribution. It is a big step to increase equal chances. It is important that the Education Inspectorate monitors compliance with the rules on parent contribution and school costs. Parents who notice schools do not follow the rules are urged to report this. This can be done at Ouders & Onderwijs or directly to the Education Inspectorate.

Our positions:

• The parent contribution is always voluntary and no longer causes exclusion of children.
• The parent contribution is not meant to enrich education because good quality education must be accessible and publicly funded for everyone. So provide public funding to schools that offer special profiles like bilingual education or technasium and strictly check if these really improve education quality.
• The growth of ‘shadow education’ is undesirable. The quality of education must be so good that parents feel less need to send their children to tutoring. Pressure on children should be lowered by reducing emphasis on student monitoring system, tests and early selection. This requires a mandatory high quality teaching approach from all schools.
• Lack of enough tailored education must not lead to parents paying private education out of pocket for their children. Where our public system cannot provide tailored education, it must remain possible to offer custom solutions by buying private education.
• Digital learning tools are now too expensive for parents. If schools decide they are essential for education, they must provide them for free like textbooks.

Read all you need to know about school costs and voluntary parent contribution.