PRIMARY EDUCATION
The two principles prevailing in the country of tulips are freedom of education and its compulsory nature. We will not dwell on the second one for long – it is familiar to us. However, there are some differences here too. Dutch children must start school at the age of five, but almost all go to school at four. When a child reaches the age of three, many municipalities send parents a letter informing them that they must enroll the child in school, because some educational institutions are very popular and have a queue – “waiting lists”.
Despite all the freedom of morals prevailing in the country, this does not apply to primary education – there everything is quite strict: a child has no right to miss classes without a valid reason. In each individual case, parents are obliged to notify the teacher. Even if you wanted to take your child one day before the start of the holidays, no one will allow you to do so. If a student misses several school days without a valid reason, parents will have to deal with the same municipal executive, who may impose a fine.
As for freedom of education, it means the freedom to establish schools, organize instruction in them, and determine the principles on which they are based – freedom of conscience and religion. Simply put, citizens of the Netherlands have the right to open schools based on their religious, ideological, or educational beliefs (provided there are a sufficient number of students and with government funding).
According to statistics, about 65% of all students in the Netherlands attend private schools, which may be managed by an association or a foundation. Most primary educational institutions are Roman Catholic or Protestant, but there are also Jewish, Islamic, Hindu, and humanist schools. There are also private non-sectarian schools not based on any particular religious or ideological principles.
A primary school usually has from 50 to 600 students. In most institutions, children are grouped by age. However, in some schools this principle takes a back seat – children are grouped according to their level of development and abilities. Usually, groups (what we would call classes) have about 30-35 students.
Unlike public schools, which must accept all students, private schools may impose certain restrictions and refuse admission to a child, for example, if his parents do not hold the same religious or ideological beliefs as the school. However, the school administration cannot refuse to accept a child if there is no public school nearby.
In case of refusal, the school board must inform parents in writing why their child is not admitted. Those refused then have six weeks to file an appeal. Currently, four-year-old children may not attend school, but a law is being prepared to make this compulsory.
If there is no suitable school for your child within six kilometers along a safe route, you are entitled to an allowance that covers part or all of the transport costs. The rules regarding this are set by the municipal council.
Freedom of learning also means that schools themselves can decide what and how to teach. The Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, however, imposes many legally established standards regarding the quality of education. They define the range of subjects that must be studied, learning objectives, and the content of state examinations. There are also rules on the number of periods per year, teacher training and teaching qualifications, the rights of parents and students, etc. As a rule, schools actively use considerable freedom in choosing textbooks and materials. However, all schools without exception cannot avoid inspectors and inspections.
Primary education is intended for children aged 4-12. There is also special primary education for mentally retarded children or children with disabilities; for older students in this category, there is also special secondary education.
The school curriculum includes: sensory coordination and physical development, Dutch language, mathematics, English (in the last two years), expressive activities (language, music, drawing, crafts and games), social skills, including road safety, promotion of a healthy lifestyle, as well as natural sciences, including geography, history, biology, political knowledge, and religious and ideological movements. Public schools also provide students with religious or ethical knowledge (up to 120 hours per year) if required by parents. The basic minimum curriculum is established by law.
It should be noted that education in primary schools is funded by taxpayers. Parents may be asked to make a voluntary contribution (from 35 to 350 euros) intended for organizing school trips, picnics, etc.
Before the start of the school year, many schools organize an evening for parents and children, when the homeroom teacher explains what work awaits students during the year. Some educational institutions also hold evenings when parents can sit at their child's desk, look through their notebooks and textbooks, and talk with the teacher.
The school day lasts a maximum of five hours. There is a short break to have a snack brought from home, and an hour-long lunch break, which they can spend at home or at school under supervision. Some educational institutions have an extended day. These are extra hours during which a child can optionally take music lessons or study their native language, if schools provide such groups for foreign children.
In primary school, each group has only one teacher, sometimes with an assistant or a student helper. Lessons are held in an arbitrary order, without breaks. The teacher himself builds the day's program, himself determines how much time to devote to each subject. And such a strict lesson schedule as in our schools does not exist. Summer holidays in the Netherlands last six weeks, but at different times in different regions (northern, central and southern), to regulate the flow of vacationers during the holidays.
Additional days off may be granted by the school if children cannot attend it for religious reasons, due to a relative's funeral or other important family events. If parents want to take a child out of school during the day, they will have to ask the principal's permission at least two days in advance. In special cases, the principal can give a 'day off' for up to ten days so that the child can continue vacation with parents. But such indulgences only work for families where parents cannot take leave at another time due to work.
To obtain such permission, you need to bring a letter from your employer stating that you cannot get leave at any other time. Such concessions are made at most once a year, but not in the first two weeks after summer holidays.
The approach in Holland to homework, which has become tiresome for parents of primary school students, is fundamentally different from what we are used to. The teacher only sometimes gives creative works and projects to do at home. Nothing like our homework! And all the necessary textbooks, notebooks, and materials are stored at school – children do not carry heavy briefcases, they only take food with them.
If we consider that parents are not at all involved in the learning process (they do not do lessons with children and do not check assignments), then the child learns only by natural abilities, and he has no chance to achieve any success through perseverance or rote memorization. But according to 'Ukrainian Dutch', the local primary school curriculum lags behind the one we are used to, that is, our 12-year-old children have more knowledge and skills than their Dutch peers.
It should be noted that the teacher evaluates students' work on a 10-point system. However, children are not scolded or rewarded for grades; this is considered unpedagogical.
At the end of primary school, all students need to take a national test that shows the level of education in general, regardless of the textbooks used. 70% of all Dutch primary schools use the CITO test. Its result and the teacher's recommendation determine the appropriate type of secondary education for the student: pre-vocational technical education (VBO), junior general secondary education (VMBO), senior general secondary education (HAVO), or pre-university education (VWO).
SECONDARY EDUCATION
In the past, VMBO, HAVO, and VWO were taught in different schools. Currently, many offer all three types of education or at least two. Institutions that provide more than one type of education are known as combined schools. Today they are the majority. Such schools give students the opportunity, if necessary, to move more easily from one type to another within the same institution.
Secondary schools, like primary schools, can be private and public. Basic secondary education is the same for all students during the first three years and does not depend on the type of education, although it differs in course length and the level of difficulty of final exams.
Compulsory subjects for the curriculum: Dutch, English, German or French, history and politics, geography, economics, physical education, mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, social skills and life skills, IT specialties, technology, and two creative subjects, which the school can teach as drawing, general or textile crafts, photo and film work, music, theater, and dance.
After completing the three-year general education cycle, students take tests to assess their knowledge. Most secondary schools have a two-year transitional period before children orient themselves and make a final choice of which education they will continue – VMBO, HAVO, or VWO.
The school week during the first three years consists of at least 32 lessons of 50 minutes each, of which 25 are devoted to the main curriculum. The remaining hours are taught at the discretion of the schools. One may use this time for religious studies, another for learning additional languages, such as Turkish and Arabic, and a third offers additional training or vocational education. With the help of the council, parents can influence the school's choice regarding the remaining hours.
As in primary schools, education in secondary schools is free (until age 16). Parents also must pay a school fee for cultural and recreational activities, buy textbooks and stationery. And if we consider that textbooks and books in general are very expensive in Holland, family expenses add up to a substantial amount. However, some schools have libraries and can lend some materials and books for the school year. And after the child turns 16, parents start paying for education. On average, the fee is 600 euros per year.
Unlike primary school, most secondary educational institutions have a separate teacher for each subject. Each class has its own mentor who handles organizational matters (form teacher). The teaching staff also includes a consultant who helps students choose a career, advises how to organize their studies, and helps them create a special study plan.
Secondary school teachers often assign homework to check whether students understand what they are being taught. Sometimes students are given the opportunity to do homework at school under the supervision of a teacher.
Four times a year or once every six weeks (depending on the school) a student receives a report (report card) on their academic performance, based on grades received for homework, tests, essays and projects.
After the period of lower secondary education, students move on to the second part of their studies, preparing for final exams. State exams are preceded by internal school exams. VMBO and HAVO students take six subjects, and VWO students take seven.
State exams are held in May, June and August. In May, everyone takes exams. When results are known, each student is given a chance to retake one subject in June. If necessary, remaining subjects can be retaken in August. Students for whom Dutch is not their native language and who have studied in Dutch schools for less than six years can take exams with extra time or using a dictionary.
The compound term pre-vocational secondary education (VMBO) roughly means post-Soviet vocational school education. To obtain a VMBO diploma, one must study for four years. Such education serves as the basis for secondary vocational education (MBO) or senior general secondary education (HAVO). This also explains the choice of specialties in VMBO: construction, metal processing, electrical engineering, car mechanics, plumbing (sanitation and gas), catering, social work, cosmetology and hairdressing, fashion and clothing, retail trade, office work, commerce, agriculture and the natural environment, food technology.
At the end of the year, VMBO students themselves choose which subjects to take. This happens by the end of the second year of study, no earlier. Each track also has its own levels of study: theoretical, combined, and middle-management vocational programs, as well as a basic vocational program.
The theoretical program prepares students for the two highest levels of secondary vocational education (MBO). If children have chosen mathematics, French or German as exam subjects, they can continue their studies for a HAVO diploma. In addition, there is a special type of practical training for students who are unable to obtain VMBO qualification. This is special preparation for low-skilled jobs on the local labor market.
Having received such an education, the Dutch usually want to continue their studies, and then they have to spend five years obtaining senior general secondary education – it prepares students for higher professional education (HBO). A HAVO diploma also allows students to continue their studies to the pre-university level VWO. HAVO and VWO students must choose one of four tracks (science and technology, science and health, economics and society, culture and society) with specific exam subjects. This ensures that students are better prepared for higher professional education (HBO) or university. It also helps reduce the number of students who finish school without a qualification.
All four tracks consist of general subjects, supplemented by a variety of specialized and additional courses. Core courses are studied for half the time, one third of the time goes to specialized subjects, and the remaining time can be used to study other subjects offered by the school, or for more intensive study of a particular topic.
Pre-university education (VWO) lasts six years and prepares students for university, although many prefer to obtain higher professional education HBO. There are two types of VWO schools: athenaeum, where Latin is sometimes offered as an additional subject, and gymnasium, where Greek and Latin are compulsory. And these are quite serious differences, because after the athenaeum you may not be accepted to university, for example, to the French language department, because without knowledge of Latin a student will not be able to read Old French texts. Upon completion of VWO, students take exams in seven subjects. More can be taken if the school gives permission. Compulsory subjects include Dutch and a second modern language (French, English or German). In gymnasium, students also take Latin or Greek. In some large cities there are lyceums where one can also study Russian and take exams in it.
In addition to VMBO, HAVO and VWO, there are VSO schools. These are special schools for children with physical disabilities or chronic illnesses.
It remains only to add that schools, lyceums and colleges regularly hold open days, where parents can familiarize themselves with the features, rules and curriculum. Also, schools provide prospectuses with detailed answers to all questions.
HIGHER EDUCATIONAt the highest level of the education system in the Netherlands, as in our country, is higher education. The opportunity to complete a full (four-year) course of study at any local university exists not only for citizens of this country, but also for foreigners. As a rule, instruction at universities there is conducted in Dutch, but there are also English-language study programs.
Admission conditions vary. It is best to find out directly from the university you have chosen. However, Dutch universities also have something in common. For example, the officially established tuition fee for the 2003-2004 academic year was 1,445 euros per year. But postgraduate study programs are usually significantly more expensive. For other expenses (housing, food, etc.) a student will need about 700 euros per month.
If you are going to study for more than three months, you need to obtain a temporary residence visa (MVV), which takes more than six months to process. However, there is a 'workaround': a Dutch educational institution may request an MVV on your behalf through a shortened procedure if the university (at your request, of course) agrees to vouch for your financial solvency before the Dutch state.
Let us remind you that foreign citizens studying in the Netherlands are permitted only temporary and seasonal employment. This means that students have the right to work only in June, July, and August; in the remaining months, no more than 10 hours per week.
In addition, higher education institutions in the Netherlands offer more than 850 international study programs in the following fields: agriculture, culture and social studies, education, arts, law, international relations and European studies, management and business, medicine, communication technologies, science and technology. Teaching in international programs is conducted in English. The main difference of such programs is that they are usually short-term but intensive in nature (short courses and training seminars) and are aimed at improving both theoretical and practical levels of knowledge. However, longer study programs are also offered, including postgraduate ones. Thus, the duration of programs ranges from two weeks to four years. A requirement for admission to most of them is a TOEFL or IELTS certificate. It is also necessary to take into account the fact that to obtain a visa you need to have the original invitation from the course organizers.