D66 and CDA demand focus on basic skills

Tekst Karen Hagen - Redactie Onderwijsblad - 6 april 2022 - 3 Minuten om te lezen

Picture: type tank

"A swamp", a "Japanese Knotweed that quickly proliferates". During the debate on the revision of the curriculum, MPs used metaphors like this for the dragging nature of this dossier. "In all those years we have not progressed an inch," concluded D66 Member of Parliament Paul van Meenen.

In all those years we have not made any progress

Prior to the debate, education minister Dennis Wiersma (VVD) hadin a letter explained how he intends to innovate the curriculum. He is adamant about this: 'Curriculum.nu is past tense'. Wiersma wants to focus on where the need is greatest, namely in the basic skills of language, arithmetic, citizenship and digital literacy.

'Another small-scale and more targeted process that can count on support from the field,' says his letter. In the debate, Wiersma made it clear that he wants to break with the previous approach: "I want to put an end to vague educational innovation that is not scientifically substantiated."

Small, clear

In the first term, MP Van Meenen called "it is positive to see those aspects reflected in the letter, it seems as if the centipede is being eradicated." The CDA emphasized that the approach had to be kept "clear and small" "while preserving the good". After the Minister's answer in the first term, MPs became more concerned about the approach, especially D66, CDA and SP. Wiersma informed the House that by basic skills he also means digital literacy and citizenship. "We need digital literacy and citizenship," says the minister. "They support basic language and math skills, so they're basically automatically connected."

melon race

In addition, it became clearer how the minister envisages the approach. For example, after developing the core objectives, he wants to phase them into education. That sounds like step by step, but the various parties in the House were alert. For example, Van Meenen emphasized that he wants to do both the preparation phase and the implementation step by step. He therefore does not opt ​​for the integral course of the minister. Van Meenen: "Language and arithmetic are of the greatest urgency, and work needs to be done on that now. Of course there is always a connection with other skills, but that does not lead to a description of other core objectives. I hope that the minister will choose this course and not the broad melon race."

I hope the minister does not want to sail the broad melon course

Peter Kwint of the SP joined in. "No one is ever opposed to doing something integrally, but sometimes it is wise not to do it. The character of language and math is different. We are further along with that and there is great urgency. happen, but these two skills should not be delayed in a review.”

AOb

Also the AOb made before the debate with a letter clear to the House that the new curriculum process must proceed step by step. There must be phases in which the basic skills are first picked up. The union does not only want the implementation to be phased, but also the development of the core objectives. So not that all core objectives are reviewed in an integrated approach in one go, but step by step and in phases. This is particularly the case in primary education, according to the AOb This is important, especially because then teachers can be better involved. Starting with language and arithmetic will put enough pressure on the already overloaded education, believes the AOb.

Start with language and math, that will put enough pressure on education

Wiersma does not want to disconnect the basic skills in advance from the other skills that are also important. He called this unwise. 'There can be disadvantages to this, because there can be coherence in content.' However, the minister promised that he would pull out the basic skills if it turns out that it would take too much time. He will come back to this with a letter that he will send to the House shortly.

Read here the entire AObletter to the Chamber