It may have been a Christian Democratic party election pledge but learning about the Dutch national anthem has not been included in draft recommendations for the primary and secondary school curriculum in the coming years.

Sources have told broadcaster NOS that including the Wilhelmus has not been supported by the 150 teachers who have been researching the new curriculum for the past two years.

‘Singing the national anthem limits may inhibit learning about other important Dutch values,’ one teacher is quoted as saying. ‘Then maybe they will think at school, if we sing the Wilhelmus we are done.’

The sources told NOS that the recommendations do include changes to the way Dutch, English, maths and social studies are taught. The commission is also looking at whether or not schools should teach more about digital technologies and citizenship.

The current curriculum dates back 12 years. The new recommendations will be published next week.

The current coalition agreement does include a commitment to ensuring Dutch children get to know the national anthem and the context in which it was written better.