In the Netherlands, educational institutions have a large degree of autonomy. At the same time, education must also contribute to the common good, if only because the government funds education. For example, schools must promote active citizenship and social cohesion. Furthermore, the responsibility of raising children still rests with the parents, who, like the children themselves, have legitimate expectations regarding education. Stefan Philipsen's research focuses in particular on the clashing claims regarding the organisation of education and how these tensions can be eliminated within the democratic constitutional state.
About Stefan Philipsen
Stefan Philipsen (Nijmegen, 1986) studied law at Radboud University, where he graduated in 2012 with a major in constitutional and administrative law. He continued his academic career at the Erasmus University in Rotterdam, where he completed his PhD research in 2017. His dissertation ‘De Vrijheid van Schoolstichting” (EN: The Freedom of School Foundations) focused on Article 23 of the Constitution-protected freedom of school foundations, a partial freedom of the broader freedom of education.
After obtaining his PhD in 2017, Stefan Philipsen worked as a professor in constitutional and administrative law at Erasmus University in Rotterdam (2016-2018) and Utrecht University (2018-2020). In 2020, Philipsen joined the Department of Legislation and Legal Affairs at the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science as a coordinating legislative jurist.
From September 2024 onwards, Philipsen has also worked at Streefkerk Education Law as a jurist. Furthermore, he has been appointed by the government as a member of the Education Council from 1 January 2025.