Teachers should not take a final decision on what sort of secondary school their 12-year-old pupils should go to until after they have taken their school leaving tests, MPs from the four coalition parties said on Wednesday. Since 2015, the role of teachers in deciding what sort of school pupils go to at the age of 12 has been boosted and that of national tests, such as the Cito, downplayed. However, MPs now say it is illogical that pupils are given their formal secondary school advice in February but don't take the tests until April or May. In addition, teachers are unlikely to change their recommendations in line with the test outcomes, MPs say. Last year, it emerged that primary school teachers are being pressured by parents to change their recommendations about what sort of secondary school children should go to. The survey of 2,000 teachers by the CNV trade union showed three-quarters had faced pressure from parents to recommend children went to a more academic secondary school. Dutch children are selected for one of three streams at the age of 12: pre-university (vwo), pre-college (havo) and vocational training (vmbo). MPs are divided about whether the tests should be brought forward or the recommendations published later, broadcaster NOS said.  More >

The Netherlands is in the top five countries whose scientists are most often quoted by their peers, Dutch scientific institute Rathenau has found. The 2016 figures show a top rating for Dutch scientists in all disciplines, including social sciences, which in 2011 was dealt a blow by the large-scale fraudulent research by Tilburg university’s Diederik Stapel. The percentage of sociology quotes between 2003 and 2016 is 26% higher than those from other countries. Although the number of quotes used by fellow scientists is seen as an indication of quality, ‘the data show a development but do not give a complete picture of all the aspects that are relevant for the quality of the articles,’ Rathenau researcher Alexandra Vennekens told the Volkskrant. In the last analysis, which looked at the period from 2000 to 2003, the Dutch came in seventh, which was below the global average. Since then the number of published articles has increased and with it the number of quotations. One reason for the success of social sciences may be increased funding although ‘an extra euro doesn’t directly translate to better quality,’ Vennekens is quoted a saying. Professor of innovation studies at Utrecht university Koen Frenken, himself one of the most quoted scientists, said the Dutch perform particularly well in the interdisciplinary field of new technology and its effect on society, such as the influence of initiatives like  Snappcar and Airbnb. The professionalism of social sciences and proper funding also play a role, he said. ‘Moreover, from the mid-1990s onward Dutch scientists have presented their research in English while scientists in other countries continued to publish in their own language for longer,’ he told the Volkskrant.  More >

Delft University of Technology is to work more intensively with eight key companies in an effort to drive innovation, the Financieele Dagblad reported on Monday. Heineken, civil engineering group VolkerWessels and state-owned railway company NS are among the eight firms which have signed up to the first year of the scheme, flagged X!Delft. The companies are paying €150,000 to the university to be included om the project and financial institutions Aegon, Rabobank and LeasePlan are also on the partner list, the FD said. The Heineken research, for example, is looking at ways to robotise the packing line and 'streamline the work done by operators'. The Aegon partnership focuses on chat bots, the project website says. Intensify The university says it wants to intensify the relationship to the extent that people ‘ no longer know if they are employed by the university or a company,’ director Tim van der Hagen told the FD. The concept, spokesman Paul Althuis told BNR radio, is to bring together researchers from both industry and university under one roof. Companies will benefit financially from research they have funded, he said, when asked who would profit from the alliance. Fundamental research, free from commercial involvement, will continue to be the bedrock of the university, he said.  More >

Trade unions have called on head teachers to highlight the problem of staff shortages by not arranging cover for teachers who fall sick this week. The AVS and CNV Schoolleiders unions say schools should make parents aware of the issue by sending children home or giving them a lesson-free day rather than finding another member of staff to teach them. 'We are seeing that senior staff are finding it increasingly difficult to fill vacancies. Soon there won't be anyone there at 7am to take the phone call from a teacher who is ill and arrange a replacement. We need to send out a strong signal.' The unions published the results of a survey of around 1400 head teachers and senior staff, which found that schools are unable to replace a teacher who is off sick in one in three cases. Another third are resolved by calling in a retired teacher, a head teacher or a teaching assistant. The unions say around 700 schools are prepared to suspend classroom replacements, although some head teachers argued it was unfair on parents. Patricia Meyer, of the De Flierefluiter school in Zwaag, said she supported the cause but did not want to send children home: 'It's better to plan actions like this in advance, because no parent can make alternative arrangements at 8.30am. Parents aren't responsible for this problem.' A spokesman for the AVS said: 'We note that many schools find it difficult to do this to parents, but if we don't do it we'll soon have a much bigger problem. Society and parents need to understand that this unpopular decision is likely to ensure that we retain enough senior teaching staff for the long term.'  More >