Dutch high school science hours to drop up to 30% under new curriculum

Dutch secondary school students are set to face a significant reduction in science class hours as a new national curriculum takes effect in August 2027, raising concerns among educators about the future of technically skilled graduates, Trouw reports.

Under the revised curriculum, upper-level havo students will see physics and biology each lose up to 30 percent of their current study hours. Vwo students will experience smaller cuts of 18 percent in these subjects. According to teachers, the reductions risk harming science education and reducing essential hands-on practice time.

“Space is simply getting smaller. Schools will schedule fewer lessons for biology and physics,” Jan Jaap Wietsma, chairman of NVON, the Dutch association for science teachers, told Trouw. He emphasized that the decrease will reduce time for practicing concepts crucial to developing analytical skills.

The new curriculum shifts hours from specialized courses to broader subjects such as civics, digital literacy, and, to a lesser extent, mathematics. The outgoing cabinet has prioritized these “basic skills” after research indicated Dutch students often lack proficiency in them.

Wietsma warned that the changes could diminish the distinguishing features of academic profiles. “We are trading subject-specific education for broader courses. That removes the distinguishing elements of the profiles, even though the new cabinet stresses how essential good technicians and biologists are for society. Just think of the nitrogen crisis,” he told Trouw.

On havo, other profile subjects including French, German, and economics will also lose 30 percent of their study hours. Vwo students will see the same subjects reduced by 18 percent.

The government notes that the cuts reflect a more realistic calculation of total study hours rather than a direct reduction in classroom time. In practice, exam-year students already have fewer lessons after their final tests. Schools retain discretion to allocate hours within the available total.

“We have repeatedly seen that students lack basic skills,” State Secretary Koen Becking told Trouw. “These skills are essential to perform well in science subjects. That is why we agreed with the Tweede Kamer that schools should focus on them. At the same time, this means that on paper, other subjects have less space. Ultimately, schools decide how much time to devote to each course.”