Inspection: really reducing financial reserves for education
School boards really have to get to work now to use the large financial reserves. That urgent appeal comes from Inspector General Alida Oppers in the Financial Statement of Education 2019, which the inspectorate published today. At the end of 2019, there was more than 1,4 billion euros in 'possibly excessive' equity on the shelf, 900 million of which in primary education.
Image: Pixabay
Most of the educational institutions in primary and secondary education and the majority of the partnerships are above the new standard set by the inspectorate last year. These boards received a letter last November urging them to take some of the money off the shelf. 'Do not reserve aimlessly, but now consciously invest. The increase in reserves must not continue, 'said Oppers in the foreword of the report.
Closer
The reserves also increased in 2019. In itself, this was to be expected: at the end of that year, both primary and secondary education each received a one-off extra 150 million at the last minute through a covenant. Without this bias, the amount of potentially excessive buffers would be somewhat lower, the inspectorate estimated, at 1,3 billion euros.
The inspectorate sees a cause for the years of growing reserves in the financial policy of many institutions: they budget too carefully, so that they still have money left at the end of the year. As if administrators are afraid to write red numbers now and then and to use reserves.
Calculation tool
The Inspectorate cannot force them to do so for the time being. To lend a hand to the opposing forces, the inspectorate has a calculation tool put online that helps to calculate whether an educational institution may have too much money on hand. D.aarmee, participation councils and also works councils in secondary vocational education and higher vocational education can map out the situation at their own board and put the board to the test to feel.
Inspector General Oppers also makes some suggestions for the use of the surplus reserves, without wanting to sit in the driver's seat. Boards that have money left over every year can, for examplescaling up field staff. With the corona crisis in mind, institutions could also invest in high-quality distance education. Also what the AOb The money has to go to class, the union added to the reserves school boards en partnerships with some regularity.
