Parent, student and education organisations want to abolish voluntary parental contributions in primary education

The organisations that have signed the letter are: Vereniging Openbaar Onderwijs, Ouders & Onderwijs, Reformatorische Oudervereniging, Voor Werkende Ouders, Oudervereniging Balans, LAKS, VOS/ABB, VO-raad, PO-raad, CNV Onderwijs, AOb and Leerlingenbelang VSO.

Marco Frijlink, chair of Vereniging Openbaar Onderwijs (VOO), explains the reasoning behind the letter: “Good education must be equally accessible to every child, regardless of their parents’ financial means. This was an important consideration when the Free Schoolbooks Act was introduced and when the rules concerning voluntary parental contributions were tightened. Now the opposite is happening.”

A logical next step

According to the authors of the letter, making digital learning resources free of charge is a logical next step following the introduction of free schoolbooks some fifteen years ago. Lobke Vlaming, director of Ouders & Onderwijs, says: “Because properly functioning digital learning resources have now become indispensable at most schools, it is a logical step to broaden the statutory definition of free learning resources.”

Primary education parental contributions from public funds

The authors of the letter call for the voluntary parental contribution in primary education to be abolished and for it to be financed from general public funds for primary education. This would prevent additional activities from coming under pressure at schools with many poorer families. The private member’s bill introduced earlier by Members of Parliament Westerveld and Kwint had already put an end to excluding students when their parents do not pay the parental contribution.

Free secondary education

In secondary education too, “the gradual introduction of free education” would be a sound starting point, the authors argue. This calls for a broader discussion of the more fundamental question of whether, and to what extent, additional activities such as excursions, trips abroad and the educational offerings of specialist schools form part of the core of education. For activities that are part of the core of education, government funding is the obvious choice. The authors call on the House of Representatives to begin discussing this with the minister and the education sector now.