{"id":23136,"date":"2026-03-12T11:06:55","date_gmt":"2026-03-12T10:06:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oudersenonderwijs.nl\/niet-gecategoriseerd\/alderman-arjen-van-drunen-education-can-help-give-children-equal-chances\/"},"modified":"2026-03-12T11:06:55","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T10:06:55","slug":"alderman-arjen-van-drunen-education-can-help-give-children-equal-chances","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oudersenonderwijs.nl\/en\/interviews\/alderman-arjen-van-drunen-education-can-help-give-children-equal-chances\/","title":{"rendered":"Alderman Arjen van Drunen: \u201cEducation can help give children equal chances\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The municipal elections are coming soon. Alderman Arjen van Drunen explains why voting for good education is important.","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":20542,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[322,328],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23136","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interviews","category-uncategorized"],"acf":{"auteur":"","foto":false,"naam":"","quote":"","link":"","samenvatting":"The municipal elections are coming soon. Alderman Arjen van Drunen explains why voting for good education is important.","banner_afbeelding":false,"banner_subtitel":"","inhoud":[{"acf_fc_layout":"inhoud_blok","afbeelding_of_video":"geen","afbeelding":false,"video":null,"intro":"With the municipal elections approaching, local education policy is also back in the spotlight. Municipalities play an important role in topics like school buildings, equal opportunities, and student transport.","inhoud":"

In Breda, Arjen van Drunen is alderman with education in his portfolio. He tells how he entered politics and why education is so important to him.<\/p>\n

From young council member to alderman<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Arjen got into local politics at a young age. \u201cEight years ago, I joined Breda politics. I was 24 years old and immediately became the chair of the Labour Party in the municipal council,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

When his predecessor as alderman left, he was asked to take over. \u201cI was 27 when I became alderman, making me the youngest alderman in Breda’s history.\u201d<\/p>\n

Education was a portfolio he wanted. \u201cMy mother works in special education, so it is close to me. Also, I believe education can level the playing field. It can help create equal opportunities for children.\u201d<\/p>\n

But Arjen says education alone cannot solve inequality of opportunity. \u201cEducation is an important way to work on equal chances, but more is needed. Think about support for parents, good facilities, and cooperation with youth care.\u201d<\/p>\n

Early childhood education can also contribute to equal opportunities for children.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"knop","knop":{"title":"More about early childhood education","url":"https:\/\/oudersenonderwijs.nl\/kennisbank\/starten-op-basisschool\/voorschoolse-educatie\/?utm_source=interview+arjen&utm_medium=website&utm_campaign=gemeenteraadsverkiezing","target":""},"kleur":"primary"},{"acf_fc_layout":"extra_inhoud_blok","inhoud":"

More parental involvement<\/strong><\/h3>\n

One way the municipality tries to promote equal chances is through the concept of family schools (a school where activities and support for parents are also organized besides education for children). This idea was introduced earlier in Amsterdam and is now also applied in Breda.<\/p>\n

\u201cSoon we will have three family schools in the city,\u201d says Arjen. \u201cThere, we try to get parents more involved with the school. This can start with something simple like coffee or tea hours. That may sound soft, but parental involvement has a big impact on learning results.\u201d<\/p>\n

Besides this, Breda works with extended school days and extra activities for children. They also introduced a youth breakfast so children always start school with a full stomach.<\/p>\n

Arjen also finds inclusive education important. \u201cMy children go to a school with kids who, for example, have Down syndrome. I value that. As a municipality, we can contribute by thinking along about school buildings or support from youth care.\u201d<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"quote","quote_tekst":"I find it a wealth that my children grow up in an environment where everyone belongs"},{"acf_fc_layout":"extra_inhoud_blok","inhoud":"

The view of a parent<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Having children himself also influences how Arjen looks at education as alderman. He talks about his daughter who plays at daycare with a girl with Down syndrome.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor her, she is just a friend to play in the sandbox with. Children do not make that distinction at all.\u201d<\/p>\n

That is why he finds inclusive education important. \u201cI find it a wealth that my children grow up in an environment where everyone belongs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Preventing dropouts<\/strong><\/h3>\n

An ongoing problem in education is that of dropouts. Dropouts are children who, for various reasons, do not go to school.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is a hard problem,\u201d says Arjen. \u201cSometimes a school says they cannot help a child well because, for example, the child falls behind. But it turns out the problem is not cognitive but something else.\u201d<\/p>\n

In Breda, they use observation classes. \u201cChildren can be observed there for a while to better understand their needs. Then we can better decide which school place fits best.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Arjen, cooperation among parents, schools, and municipalities is essential. \u201cYou must look together at what really works for a child.\u201d<\/p>\n

Problems with school buildings<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The condition of school buildings also worries him. Van Drunen says municipalities get too little money from the national government for school buildings.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a municipality, we often spend more money than we get from the national government,\u201d he says. \u201cThe system is actually unsustainable.\u201d<\/p>\n

He mentions examples of schools with bad conditions. \u201cPoor ventilation and condensation on windows. These are workplaces where adults would not want to work, but where their children sit daily.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Arjen, this topic must come higher on the political agenda.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"knop","knop":{"title":"More about the school building","url":"https:\/\/oudersenonderwijs.nl\/kennisbank\/schooloverkoepelend\/het-schoolgebouw\/eisen-aan-het-schoolgebouw\/?utm_source=interview+arjen&utm_medium=website&utm_campaign=gemeenteraadsverkiezing","target":""},"kleur":"primary"},{"acf_fc_layout":"extra_inhoud_blok","inhoud":"

Why voting is important<\/strong><\/h3>\n

With the municipal elections coming, Arjen calls on parents to cast their vote.<\/p>\n

Education can sometimes be a forgotten topic in the municipality. According to Arjen, this is not right. \u201cYou can expect that a alderman for traffic focuses on traffic and an alderman for housing on housing construction,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut with education, this is sometimes less obvious, because aldermen often think I do not interfere with education, that is only up to education itself. That is why it is important that parents go vote and see which parties really work for good education and their children. Municipalities can strengthen education in their area.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"knop","knop":{"title":"More about education within the municipality","url":"https:\/\/oudersenonderwijs.nl\/kennisbank\/gemeente-en-onderwijs\/?utm_source=interview+arjen&utm_medium=website&utm_campaign=gemeenteraadsverkiezing","target":""},"kleur":"primary"},{"acf_fc_layout":"call_to_action","selecteer_call_to_action":"gerelateerde_onderwerpen_lijst","berichten_met_prioriteit":false,"download_pdf":false,"veelgestelde_vragen_verwijzing":{"titel":"","knop_tekst":"","url":""}},{"acf_fc_layout":"meer_informatie_links","linkjes":false}],"call_to_action":"nieuwsbrief","call_to_action_2":"geen","zoekwoorden":""},"yoast_head":"\nArjen: Education can help give equal chances<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The municipal elections are coming. 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