More students attend special education due to lack of resources, staff in schools

More and more students are leaving mainstream schools in favor of special education because they are not getting the resources and support they need. Students with behavioral or psychiatric problems, in particular, are increasingly showing up in special education institutions over the last two years, according to Nu.nl.

Experts say children who need more support –– whether because of their home life, behavioral problems or giftedness –– often don't receive it in regular school. This can be traced to a number of reasons, including a teacher shortage and too few therapists and support staff at schools, sources told Nu.nl.

"Think of the long waiting lists for youth care," Johan van Triest, chairman of the Sector Council for Specialized Education, told Nu.nl. "It takes so much effort to get help at all as a child. When are we going to take good care of each other in this country again?"

Some children who are being diverted to special education would have never had a problem if their issues had been addressed earlier, Van Triest said. During the coronavirus pandemic lockdowns, which temporarily kept children in the Netherlands from attending school in person, education professionals expressed concern that "vulnerable" students needed "security and structure" of physical school.

For some children, though, special education is the option with better long-term resources. Van Triest observed that many parents are reluctant to send their children back to regular education, even when they no longer need to attend special education, because "they finally get our time and attention."

However, the Appropriate Education Act is supposed to ensure that such students can access extra attention and resources in regular education, so that they do not need to switch schools. Primary and Secondary Education Minister Dennis Wiersma has also set his sights on helping students with specialized needs through additional allowances for teachers with vulnerable students.

In the end, though, the main problem is staffing, said Carry Roozemond, director of Ingrado. "We see students with mild behavioral problems who do not fit into regular education because they cannot receive therapy," she said. "We know together how to guide such a child, but there is no help available."