Emphasising the public character of education

The growth in private education provision and the intermingling of state and private provision are putting increasing pressure on the public character of Dutch education. That public character demands education that is generally accessible, of high quality, and allows for input by education professionals. However, the growth in private provision and the intermingling with publicly funded provision means that publicly funded schools are increasingly losing grip on their core mission of providing accessible, high-quality education. Education is increasingly transitioning into an accumulation of individual interests, with societal goals such as a well-educated workforce and social cohesion fading to the background. The Education Council recommends that the government and schools step up the efforts to protect the public character of education, so that everything that is offered at a state-funded school is (freely) available to all students, whilst guaranteeing educational quality and the ability of education professionals to exert a degree of control.