Over a third of primary school teachers consider it irresponsible for schools to reopen on May 11. They think the government should have waited for the results of an RIVM study into the coronavirus contamination risks among children and teenagers before deciding to reopen schools, according to a representative survey by DUO and AD among 1,250 teachers.
DUO
Apr 6 '20 15:25
The Dutch government will show some lenience when it comes to collecting debts during the coronavirus crisis. Those financially affected by the crisis can apply for deferred payments. And the state's debt collection service CJIB sent a letter to bailiffs asking them to show restraint and to avoid seizing bank assets, salaries, properties, and homes as much as possible, AD reports.
Dec 10 '19 07:26
Nearly two-thirds of primary school teachers in the Netherlands have pupils in the classroom who live in poverty. They notice that these children have more problems with their school performance than their peers with no money problems at home, according to a survey among 700 primary school teachers by DUO. 20 percent of teachers stopped group discussions about weekend or holiday activities, because it is "too painful" for the pupils who could not do anything, AD reports.
Sep 19 '19 09:12
Primary schools are using their budgets much more. Last year the school boards had 5.9 million euros of their budgets left over at the end of the year. In 2017 it was just over 106 million euros, Trouw reports based on figures from education executive agency DUO.
Aug 22 '19 12:00
A four-year degree at a Dutch university or college costs an average of around 50 thousand euros, according to the most recent figures by Nibud. That amounts to around 12 thousand euros a year, or a thousand euros a month, AD reports.
Jun 19 '19 16:10
Parents are increasingly interfering with the education their child receives at school, but at the same time are less and less willing to help out on school trips and class parties and the like, DUO discovered in a study among 500 primary school teachers. Three quarters of the teachers said that parents are increasingly taking the position of a "consumer" who is entitled to certain services from the school, RTL Nieuws reports.
May 8 '19 09:20
A significant proportion of former students are struggling to repay their student loans. One in five are currently in arrears, NOS reports based on figures from education executive agency DUO.
According to DUO, the former students who are in arrears either cannot repay their loans for financial reasons, do not want to repay their student loans, or don't realize they are in arrears, for example because they don't read their emails.
Dec 4 '18 08:51
Primary schools in large cities like Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague and the municipalities around them are increasingly using Pieten with soot marks on their faces in the Sinterklaas celebration, rather than the traditional blackface Zwarte Piet, according to a survey of over 580 schools by DUO Education Research & Advice, NU.nl reports.
Nov 28 '18 11:00
Almost a quarter of teachers in secondary education in the Netherlands feel less safe at school than they did three years ago. Around 10 percent even give their personal safety a failing score, according to a study by education institution DUO among over a thousand teachers, NU.nl reports.
Sep 6 '18 11:10
An increasing number of foreign teachers want to teach at Dutch schools, the Volkskrant reports based on figures from executive education agency DUO. Teachers from abroad know they have a solid chance of finding a job in the Netherlands due to the increasing teacher shortage in the country.
In 2015 DUO received 742 applications from foreign teachers who wanted their qualifications recognized in the Netherlands. Two years later, that increased by some 300. This year DUO also received over a thousand such requests.
Apr 5 '18 09:10
Around 18 thousand primary school teachers in the Netherlands are still unjustly in the lowest salary bracket, despite agreements made with school boards and trade unions to fix this problem in 2008, the Telegraaf reports based on figures from education institute DUO.
The issue of underpaid teachers was already raised in 2008, when agreements were made to help more teachers rise to a higher pay bracket. In that year it was agreed that by 2014 at least 40 percent would be in a higher pay bracket.
Dec 4 '17 11:10
The teachers at four out of five primary schools in the Netherlands do not talk about the color of Zwarte Piet and do not ask themselves whether appearance of the controversial character may be hurtful to some children, according a study by DUO Onderwijsonderzoek & Advies, ANP reports.
Sep 4 '17 09:26
A number of immigrants in the Netherlands who previously passed a state exam for integration, were surprised by two extra tests they need to pass before getting an indefinite residency permit, the Volkskrant reported on Monday. The foundation for refugee students UAF received multiple complaints about this over the summer.
Sep 1 '17 10:00
More than half of Dutch students loan more money from educational services department DUO than they need for their studies, according to a study Nibud published on Friday. Of these students, half loaned more money to save up for when they are done studying. The low interest rates on student loans is one reason for doing so, according to the researchers, NU.nl reports.
Aug 22 '17 11:00
Public transit card company Translink passed on the travel data of dozens of students to government education service DUO so far this year, the Volkskrant reported on Tuesday. The data is used to check that the students are not claiming higher allowances than their due by saying they no longer live with their parents while they still do. Travelers' organization Maatschappij voor Beter OV feels that DUO is violating privacy rules, according to the newspaper.
Apr 10 '17 11:45
The number of former Dutch students having problems paying the monthly repayment on their student loans is approaching 100 thousand, education agency DUO confirmed to NU.nl. Their income is too low for a mandatory monthly installment to be imposed on them, according to the news site.
In 2009 around 30 thousand former students could not afford to pay the monthly installment on their study loans. In 2015 that increased to around 90 thousand and last year the number was close to 100 thousand. Final figures are not available yet.
Apr 4 '17 09:16
Last year a total of 54.720 students repeated a year in high school or failed their final exam, according to figures from education agency DUO. That amounts to 5.7 percent of the total number of high school students, compared to 5.4 percent the previous year, AD reports
The increase in the number of repeaters is a break with the downward trend that started in 2012. Between 2012 and 2015 the number of repeaters fell from 6.5 percent of high school students to 5.4 percent.
Mar 8 '17 08:13
The national student loan debt is at its highest level ever, according to figures from education organization DUO. In total students and former students currently owe 17.6 billion euros to the state, compared to 12 billion euros five years ago, the Telegraaf reports.
On Wednesday student organization ISO launched a National Study Debt Meter to keep track of the increasing study debt. "The projected increase for the coming year is about 55 euros per second", ISO president Jan Sinnige said to the newspaper.
Feb 1 '17 10:29
Many teachers in the Netherlands feel they have to avoid talking about sensitive topics such as sexual orientation and religion in their classrooms, according to a study by DUO. So-called Islamization and terrorist organization ISIS in particular are topics to be avoided. The teachers blame failed integration for this, ANP reports.
Jan 16 '17 14:43
Government sites DigiD and MijnOverheid.nl are currently unavailable due to a technical fault. The sites went offline just before noon, NU.nl reports.
If you try logging into DigiD you are met with a message saying that DigiD is currently unavailable due to a fault. The same message can be seen on DigiD's Twitter feed. Logging into MijnOverheid.nl is also impossible, and there are problems with logging into the sites of the Tax Authorities, DUO and benefits agency UWV.
Complaint site Allestoringen.nl received hundreds of complaints, according to NOS.
Dec 6 '16 15:25
An increasing number of Dutch primary schools are switching over to the so-called continuous timetable, in which kids aren't sent home for lunch, instead staying at school for a short break and then going home earlier. Currently only about half of primary schools are still using the traditional timetable, the Volkskrant reports based on a survey by DUO, NU.nl reports..
Nov 29 '16 11:20
Inequality in education in the Netherlands increased over the past years, according to a study done by DUO Education Research. The increasing inequality is more significant in high schools than in primary schools, ANP reports.
The study was done among more than 2,200 school principals and teachers in primary and secondary educations. 18 percent of the secondary education principals and teachers indicated that a growing number of children are getting fewer opportunities at their schools. Among primary schools it was 12 percent.
Oct 26 '16 11:35
For the first time ever the interest rate on study loans is dropping to 0 percent next year, a spokesperson for education executive agency DUO confirmed to NU.nl.
Students who finish their studies this year will not have to pay interest on their study loans for the next five years. The 0 percent interest rate also applies to former students who are starting a new fixed interest period of five years in 2017.
Feb 5 '16 09:45
About 120 thousand former students were fined a total of 56 million euros in 2014 and 2015 because the neglected to cancel their free public transport subscription after they graduated. That equates to an average of about 500 euros in fines for each forgetful former student, according to figures the Volkskrant got from education agency DUO.
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