The Education Council advocates maintaining the lump sum
The Education Council recommends continuing to work with lump sum funding in education. However, this system must become less complex and accountability must be improved. AObexecutive director Eugenie Stolk: "The council notes that it is unclear what the money is spent on in education, but then advises to keep the lump sum financing, one large money bag without labels."
Picture: Type tank
Today the Education Council published the report 'Insight into and accountability of education funds' about the financing of education. The Lower House asked the council for advice because there are many discussions about education finances. For example, where has the 150 million euros for young teachers in primary and secondary education gone? How many young teachers have actually entered its service? It remains unclear.
The council speaks of a 'poor understanding'. 'Funding at the front is complex and fragmented. It is not possible to determine whether the expenditure of resources has been effective ', the report says. The council also sees that schools sometimes do not know exactly what their income is. 'That insight is currently insufficient.'
Bag of money
Now schools receive one bag of money from the government: the lump sum. Schools have great freedom in how it is spent. They can buy iPads from it or appoint a teaching assistant. The Education Council wants this funding to continue. "It does most justice to the autonomy of the educational institutions," the council writes. This is also the best way for schools to maintain a stable policy without too much administrative burden.
De AOb has been arguing for some time for less non-commitment in education funding and has already come up with the 'Lumpsum 2.0' plan. The union believes that the freedom of school boards should be restricted and that funding should therefore be divided. Then it is determined how much money will go to staff and how much to material things and drivers can no longer shift money from one pot to another.
De AOb has been advocating less non-commitment in education funding for some time now
“I see a contradiction in the advice,” says AObdriver Stolk. “The council notes that we do not really know what exactly will be done with the money, but continues to opt for this system. That is contradictory. We believe that politicians should provide frameworks for spending. Our new research The lump sum also shows: many schools transfer less money to staff than the state transfers. While the quality of education is related to the deployment of staff. ”
Solutions
The council sees shortcomings in the lump sum, but according to the researchers there are solutions. Above all, it must be simpler. The tricky formulas, the many numbers and the calculations are now too complex. If this happens, insight into finances will improve a lot, the Education Council suspects.
In addition, the government should interfere less with the money flows by means of all kinds of additional subsidies and schemes. The Council mentions this in the report on target funding. It concerns, for example, money specifically for young teachers, bilingual education or the professionalization of the teacher team. The government must be more cautious about this. 'It is now being used excessively and therefore affects effectiveness', the council concludes. Moreover, this only works if clear goals have been set in advance. These additional regulations make it difficult for schools to pursue a consistently good policy themselves.
Accountability
The council is in favor of the current autonomy of the school boards, but an important condition is that the schools explain better what they have done with the money. It is still too often the case that internal supervision has too late or no insight into risky expenditure. 'There must be a culture in which questions continue,' said the council. Participation councils must also receive proper training and help from an independent institution in understanding finances. The government also has a task. They must check whether the educational institutions are functioning properly and whether their supervision is in order.
Read the entire advisory report of the Education Council via this link.
