Netherlands boosts financial aid for teaching students

The government has made a new grant available for teaching students who want to follow a master's program at a college or university. The aim for this grant is to get more teachers with a master's degree in the class room and thereby improve education. "Teachers with a master's degree give the whole education a boost. Not only are they pedagogically well educated, they also tend to be the innovation driver in a team of teachers", State Secretary Sander Dekker of Education said. In addition to a master's programs in an educational study direction, this grant is also meant for students who are doing a master's degree in a subject that has teacher shortages, such as French, German or mathematics. The allowance consist of a single payment for tuition fees and becomes a grant if the student gets the degree within a set time. The basic grant is 3 thousand euros. For students studying mathematics, physics and chemistry, the grant is 5 thousand euros. Part of this arrangement is that students do their master's studies at a school, or do an internship at a school. State Secretary Dekker believes that this will bond students with the teaching practice and will make it more likely that they will work as a teacher after their studies are done. Students and current teachers can apply for this grant through DUO from September 1st.