A narrow majority of MPs remain in favour of the government’s plans to cut spending on special needs education, despite a rally by some 50,000 teachers in Amsterdam on Tuesday afternoon.

It was one of the biggest gatherings of protestors against government cutbacks in recent years.
The reforms, which mean a €300m cut in spending on children with special educational needs, are supported by the ruling coalition and its alliance partner, the anti-immigration PVV.
During a debate on the measures in parliament on Tuesday, education minister Marja van Bijsterveld admitted the cuts will ‘hurt’ but said she would keep a close eye on developments and intervene if she felt things were going wrong.
The cuts will lead to a reduction in the number of special-needs places and fewer teaching assistants to help children with difficulties attend ordinary schools. Van Bijsterveld estimates some 5,000 jobs will go.