Learning delays and concerns about well-being due to coronavirus

In secondary vocational and higher education, the NPO budget is mainly being allocated to intensive study guidance, work placement guidance and promoting students’ well-being. Secondary vocational education is also investing in tackling youth unemployment. The economic recovery in the Netherlands is making it easier to address the shortage of work placement opportunities and work-based learning positions.

In primary education, learning delays are greatest in mathematics; in secondary education, they are greatest in mathematics and reading skills. School leaders are also concerned about pupils’ well-being and the development of learning skills such as motivation, planning, cooperation and maintaining attention. These concerns are greatest in secondary education and practical education. In addition, extra attention is needed for pupils in vulnerable situations.

Gaining insight into problems

Feeling good is a prerequisite for being able to learn effectively, so it is important for education to work on this, says Bas Wijnen of the Netherlands Youth Institute. Education can and does not have to do this alone. “We know that working on well-being at school is more effective when it is connected with home, online activities and leisure time. That is precisely why municipalities are also receiving money from the NPO programme. In Utrecht, for example, the municipality worked with education providers to analyse how young people in the city are doing. This gives them insight into the problems that exist and enables them to agree on who will do what to address those problems.”

A complex task

Cooperation with other parties is important, says Wijnen, because working on well-being is a complex task for education alone. “Identifying and addressing problems such as low mood among adolescents is often not seen as a responsibility of education, but rather as a task for, for example, the neighbourhood team. But ultimately, it concerns the same children. That is why it is good for schools, municipalities and other parties to work together on this.”