Through the NPO, schools received additional funding to help pupils and students catch up on learning delays and improve their mental well-being after the lockdowns. In 2024, the programme for post-secondary education came to an end, and in the summer of 2025 for primary and secondary education.
In vocational education, universities of applied sciences and universities, study delays in terms of academic progress have fallen sharply since the coronavirus period. Whereas in 2022 32 percent of students said they had experienced delays as a result, by 2025 this applied to only around 8 percent.
In primary education too, pupils have almost completely caught up on missed development in basic skills. In the lower years of secondary education, learning outcomes have not yet recovered despite all the efforts. Attention to basic skills therefore remains a priority.
Just as satisfied as before the pandemic
During the coronavirus period, many pupils and students struggled mentally, but they now feel better again. Secondary school pupils say they are now just as satisfied with their lives as they were before the pandemic. Progress is also visible in post-secondary education: whereas 23 percent of students felt bad in 2022, this fell to 12 percent in 2025.
“The coronavirus pandemic was a far-reaching period for pupils and students,” says Chaja Deen of the NJi. “The school closures made it clearer than ever how important the broad role of the school is in pupils’ social, physical, cognitive and social-emotional development.”
Note of caution regarding the recovery of well-being
According to Deen, it is positive that well-being appears to be recovering, but she adds a note of caution. “The most recent large-scale measurement among pupils and students dates from 2021. It is therefore still uncertain whether the recovery in well-being will actually continue. This is also the case when considering new developments in the world that can cause stress, such as the climate and the many wars.”
Learning and well-being go hand in hand
Learning and well-being go hand in hand, according to Deen. “When you feel good about yourself and have confidence in your ability to successfully complete tasks, you learn and perform better. Academic success therefore strengthens well-being. Conversely, there is little room for learning when stress predominates. That is why it is positive that efforts relating to well-being and student welfare have been given a structural place in vocational education, universities of applied sciences and universities.”
According to Deen, this does not apply to primary and secondary education. “There, the focus is mainly on strengthening basic skills, while many schools say in their final reports that they are concerned about pupils’ mental well-being and the vulnerable situations in which many of them find themselves. The approaches to basic skills and well-being are currently separate, which may create risks for the near future. Especially because school-related performance pressure is an important cause of mental health problems.”
Government letter Final report on the National Education Programme - foundational education