Minister sets additional requirements for secondary vocational education teachers of Dutch, arithmetic and citizenship
Outgoing education minister Robbert Dijkgraaf tightens the requirements for secondary vocational education teachers who teach Dutch, arithmetic or citizenship. Teachers with a teacher training diploma in another subject and colleagues who followed a PDG trajectory are required to take additional training.
Picture: Type tank
“You just want quality. MBO students deserve this,” responds Andries Knol, MBO teacher AOb-main driver.
Last week Dijkgraaf informed the House of Representatives about his approach to improving basic skills in secondary vocational education. He shares a major point for both current and future MBO teachers: they must be qualified to teach basic skills. 'Without good teachers, there is no good education. The lack of well-trained and competent teachers at a school can put pressure on the quality of education," says Dijkgraaf.
Switch
The teachers are - according to the minister - the 'crucial link' to improve basic skills. MBO institutions currently determine for themselves whether a teacher can also teach arithmetic, citizenship or Dutch. With teacher shortages it often happens that teachers who are trained in a completely different subject provide these lessons. AOb-chief executive Knol: “A Dutch lesson now does not have to be given by a qualified Dutch teacher. It is also possible that a colleague who has completed the mathematics teacher training course gives these lessons. Or a carpenter who has a Pedagogical Didactic Certificate (PDG).”
A Dutch lesson now does not have to be taught by a Dutch teacher
Dijkgraaf wants to tackle this by requiring additional training for teachers who teach basic skills. In particular, teachers who have completed teacher training in another subject and those with PDG will have to complete additional training if they want to teach the three basic subjects. Colleagues with a diploma from a first- or second-level teacher training course in one of the basic subjects are excluded. The Ministry of Education is aiming for the 2026-2027 school year for implementation. "I will take into account an appropriate transition period for the current staff," the minister wrote.
Flexibility
De AOb agrees with Dijkgraaf's decision, because he has raised this with politicians for years. And will do this again next Wednesday. Knol will this position namely sharing during a 'round table discussion' in the Parliamentary Standing Committee. “The deployment of a teacher in a course or field for which he is not trained does not benefit the quality of education and can be demotivating and frustrating for the teacher and the student,” says Knol. “You just want quality. A 16-year-old HAVO student does have a teacher who is qualified in those subjects for the class. Then this should also be possible in secondary vocational education. The employers, the MBO council, always want to be able to deploy people with maximum flexibility, but with this decision that is no longer possible.”
According to the minister, the additional training program must consist of subject didactics and subject content of the basic skills and must be tailored to what is expected of students in these subjects. The minister is already in discussions with teacher training colleges about these programs for teachers. He also wants both routes for future teachers (PDG and teacher training) to continue to lead to teaching basic skills with additional requirements. Knol: “It is important that the AOb is involved in the implementation of these training courses. After all, we represent the teachers. Furthermore, colleagues must be given sufficient time and facilities to train.”
Citizenship exam
In addition to the additional requirements for teachers, Dijkgraaf also announces that the citizenship subject will now count towards the diploma from the 2026-2027 school year. MBO students will now have to take an institutional exam for this subject, which will make the subject less optional. The exam is not a knowledge test, it can also be a portfolio showing what things have been learned. earlier told an MBO teacher of Arithmetic, what it means if the subject counts towards the diploma. 'Always that one question: if it's so important, why doesn't it count? Student motivation will improve 100 percent.'
In 2022, arithmetic became a subject that counts towards the diploma. Mathematics also had to be more in line with the experiences of students and their subject. Dijkgraaf expects an initial picture of how the new arithmetic exams have been drawn up before the summer.
Next Wednesday from 13.00 p.m. you can follow the round table discussion live in the House of Representatives. AOb-chief executive Andries Knol will explain the union's position there. To the website of the House of Representatives
