Dutch government commits €50 million a year to fight youth illiteracy in schools
Beginning in 2028, the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture, and Science will provide a permanent annual contribution of 50 million euros to two major literacy programs: Boekstart ("Bookstart") and De Bibliotheek op school ("The Library at School"). The structural investment reportedly aims to enhance reading skills and increase reading enjoyment among children and teenagers throughout the Netherlands, according to NOS.
The funding is a response to growing concerns over falling literacy rates. According to the most recent international PISA study from 2023, which measures reading proficiency among 15-year-olds, one in three Dutch teenagers is unable to read at a sufficient level. This puts them at risk of underperforming in school and leaving the education system functionally illiterate.
“Reading is essential to participate in an increasingly complex society,” Adriaan Langendonk of Stichting Lezen ("Reading Foundation"), a national center of expertise on reading education, told NOS. Langendonk, who has worked on reading promotion for 17 years, stressed the urgency of addressing low literacy. “We believe every child has the right to learn to read well.”
The Ministry noted that primary school students who participate in de Bibliotheek op school programs not only become more proficient readers, but also start to enjoy reading and do so more often. Reading has also been shown to positively influence vocabulary development and general knowledge.
Roosje van Driest, a teacher and reading consultant at a primary school in Amsterdam-Zuidoost, sees the impact directly in the classroom. “It is so important that students learn to read well,” she told NOS. “It leads to better understanding, greater empathy, and helps children develop a broader perspective on the world.”
Van Driest works at a school with a high “school weighting,” meaning many of its students come from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. “These are children who often don’t grow up in homes where picking up a book is encouraged,” she told NOS.
She and her colleagues make reading a visible, daily part of school life. They focus not only on technical reading skills but also on reading pleasure, comprehension, and engagement. The school collaborates closely with the city library, which helps tailor reading programs—such as summer reading challenges—to the school’s needs. “We share what we need, and they offer suggestions and support.”
Reading consultants also help children explore reading beyond pleasure, introducing them to nonfiction and informational texts. Since many students at Van Driest’s school speak multiple languages, the school offers books in various languages through the Library at School.
A similar initiative is underway at De Hunenborg primary school in Hengelo, where a multilingual book collection was added this month. Teacher and reading coordinator Elian Meenhuis emphasized the importance of creating a language-rich environment. “It’s essential that children grow up surrounded by books—whether novels or cookbooks, in any language.”
Meenhuis sees the classroom as a key setting for developing reading skills and supports the decision to increase funding for literacy instruction in teacher training programs and colleges of primary education (pabo’s). Van Driest agrees. “If a teacher doesn’t enjoy reading, they can’t inspire students to enjoy it either,” she told NOS.
Reading promotion should begin even before birth, according to Langendonk of the Reading Foundation. “People often don’t realize that language development starts during pregnancy, so ideally you begin reading aloud when the baby is still in the womb,” he told NOS.
Van Driest also underlined the importance of reading aloud to children often. To encourage students to start reading—and keep them reading—she says schools must provide access to books, organize library visits, and foster discussion about books. “If you guide children into reading with fun and care, they almost always want to keep reading,” she told NOS.
