A Dictionary of Dutchness

Mavo

The type of education known as middelbaar algemeen voortgezet onderwijs (intermediate secondary education) or mavo for short, should have been incorporated into the new VMBO or trade school system when it was introduced in 1999. However, it appears that there are still 115 mavo schools left in the Netherlands and new ones are now being opened by people who say the VMBO system has created schools which are just too big and unmanageable. It takes four years to complete a mavo curriculum.