Amsterdam students experience stress more often than most; One-fifth consider suicide

Secondary school students in Amsterdam experience stress more often than on average in the Netherlands, according to a study published Friday. Furthermore, the study said that a third of the students have psychological complaints, and a fifth have seriously considered suicide. Education Alderman Marjolein Moorman called the results "alarming" in a response.

Stress is experienced by half of the Amsterdam students. Girls at the HAVO/VWO level in particular experience stress and suffer from psychological complaints, according to the researchers. The students are in programs on paths to enter research universities and applied sciences universities.

The research also showed that there is segregation in secondary education in Amsterdam, with "the proportion of students with higher vocational/university educated parents increasingly clustering in some of Amsterdam's schools," Moorman wrote in a letter about the study. The alderman called this situation "worrying" because it can lead to "differences in future prospects."

The study also showed that the teacher shortage is continuing to increase and that half of Amsterdam teachers "experience too little space and time to guide and support students," the letter stated. The language and math skills of students entering secondary education in the capital are also declining.

"There are great concerns about the well-being of secondary education students," said Moorman, who will discuss the results with "the education field." The municipality said it will focus on "prevention and support" through "various programmes." The intention is that Moorman will send the council a draft of its "Education Agenda" in the spring of 2023.