{"id":161946,"date":"2023-11-30T12:12:01","date_gmt":"2023-11-30T11:12:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=161946"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:27:04","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:27:04","slug":"dont-cut-back-on-education-warns-education-council","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2023\/11\/30\/dont-cut-back-on-education-warns-education-council\/","title":{"rendered":"Don\u2019t cut back on education, warns Education Council"},"content":{"rendered":"

Education is \u201cof great political importance\u201d, writes the Education Council in a letter to the next government. It advises to improve education and fight inequality, while warning against cutbacks.<\/p>\n

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It will presumably be some time before a new cabinet is sworn in, but the Education Council has already written<\/a> a letter. \u201cEducation is too important to be subject to policy shifts or course corrections every time a new cabinet is installed\u201d, it states.<\/p>\n

The Education Council advises the government on education. While its members are independent, they are appointed by the cabinet. The Council is currently chaired by Edith Hooge, professor of education management at Tilburg University.<\/p>\n

Three pressing issues<\/h2>

The \u201cthree most pressing and urgent issues\u201d in education, according to the letter, are teacher shortages, declining test scores in language and maths, and inequality of opportunity and social segregation in education.<\/p>\n

It is \u201cunacceptable\u201d that young people are leaving education without being able to read and write properly, and without basic maths skills, the Council believes. It advocates \u201csustainable improvement of language and numeracy\/mathematics education, from primary to higher education\u201d.<\/p>\n

The letter also states: \u201cOur education system contributes to opportunity inequality. Whether pupils and students can get a good education that suits them depends partly on the education their parents received, and on their financial situation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Invest<\/h2>

So the incoming administration must continue to invest in education, the letter concludes. The Council also points to \u201cthe constitutional balance between the government\u2019s systemic responsibility and the autonomy of educational institutions\u201d.<\/p>\n

Until a new cabinet is formed, the current ministers will remain in their posts. For education, they are Robbert Dijkgraaf (D66) and Mari\u00eblle Paul (VVD).<\/p>\n\n\t

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De redactie<\/h2>\n\t\t\n\t\t
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