Education Min. looking into plans to make four years old the mandatory age for school

Education Minister Mariëlle Paul is researching whether the mandatory education age can be lowered from 5 to 4 years, her spokesperson confirmed after a report from RTL Nieuws. The caretaker minister hopes to prevent children from falling behind at a young age.

Another measure that Paul is contemplating is having children with a disadvantage be required to be sent to pre-school from 2,5 years of age.

Parents are currently offered this option if the municipality has decided, along with the consultation bureau, that children are falling behind. Participation is voluntary. The latest numbers indicate that 53,250 toddlers qualified for this in 2022. The parents did not use the option in a quarter of the cases.

The results of the research are expected at the end of this year. The minister thinks she will be able to decide whether the proposed measures will have the desired effect by that time.

Most children aged four already go to school. The minister said the small group ( three percent) that does not are falling behind.