€2 billion spent on reading, math in Netherlands, but government study finds no impact
Billions in subsidies were intended to get Dutch children back on track in reading and math. While schools have welcomed the extra funds, researchers at the Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis (CPB) say the billions have had no measurable impact so far.
Since 2022, 2 billion euros have been poured into the program, yet students are not performing any better. At the same time, Dutch students have steadily declined in reading and math on international rankings since 2012, with the COVID-19 pandemic adding an extra setback.
Extra funding was introduced because students, especially in pre-vocational education (vmbo), were falling further behind the level needed for further education or entering the labor market. By 2028, the gaps are supposed to be closed.
The CPB report notes that the funding has had “no systematic effects” on student performance. The study was published last month but largely went unnoticed, AD reported.
The transition test (formerly the Cito test) has not improved over the past two years, nor have other assessments. In secondary education, no more students are passing their final exams, and grades in math and Dutch are not improving.
In a second round of subsidies, schools with the largest learning gaps were prioritized. There, too, no “reliable effects” on learning outcomes were observed in the first year.
Problems are reportedly greatest in the vmbo, where the CPB had expected extra funding and attention to make a difference. The numbers tell a different story.
The latest internationally recognized PISA study shows that as many as one-third of Dutch 15-year-olds are at risk of leaving school with low literacy.
However, primary school students are performing somewhat better post-COVID. CPB researchers say this improvement is likely unrelated to the subsidies; the end of home schooling is probably the key factor.
In secondary education, performance continues to decline, according to research by the Cito Foundation. Reading skills and vocabulary are “significantly lower than before COVID.”
The subsidy has not changed that. Acting Secretary of State Koen Becking (Education, VVD) wrote to the Tweede Kamer that the CPB report results are “of course disappointing.”
He noted, however, that the subsidy has not been in place long. “Structural change takes time. It is therefore too early for definitive conclusions about effectiveness.”
The CPB also says it is too early for final conclusions. Yet the government had explicitly set the goal of improved results by 2024. That goal has not been achieved.
