Pupils in their first few years of secondary school should focus on key subjects such as English, Dutch, science and maths, education minister Marja van Bijsterveldt says in an interview with Tuesday’s Volkskrant.

The minister’s comments are in reaction to the results of the latest PISA report, which compares education in different countries. According to the Volkskrant, the Netherlands has dropped in the rankings but still remains among the leaders.
‘Once again we have gone down in terms of maths and science,’ Van Bijsterveldt said. ‘I cannot let that go because parliament wants us to be in the top five. I have to do something.’
Plagued
The minister said the first few years of secondary school are ‘plagued’ by all sorts of subjects being ‘dumped’ on them by parliament.
In order to improve the focus, the minister wants to return to two core profiles in pre college and university secondary education: one focusing on languages and the arts and one on science.
In addition, all primary school leavers should also face an exam to assess their secondary education capabilities, she said. Many schools already use a test in the final year but it is not compulsory.