Over 80 pct. of kids enrolled in high school education

The number of students in high school education increased from 13 thousand in 1900 to almost a million today, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) revealed on Thursday. Currently, 80 percent of the Dutch population between the ages of 12 and 18 are enrolled in a secondary school. The current percentage has largely held over the course of the last four decades. The proportion of students in the secondary education system grew mainly through a gradual increase in the mandatory schooling age. When introduced in 1900, compulsory education applied to children aged between six and 12. People up to 18 years of age were mandated to attend education since the late 1980s, however, havo (‘higher general continued education’) graduates typically finish their programmes at 17, and are not obliged to continue with education past that point.. During the twentieth century, secondary education largely transformed from being only for the elite, becoming more mass-oriented. Representation of girls, children of ethnic minorities and lower social background continues to improve, reports the CBS. Despite this, immigrants and children from low-income families still remain underrepresented.