The Dutch education system largely consists of islands. It begins, to a lesser extent, in primary education where children can be placed in so-called development groups or advanced groups. Then, usually at the age of twelve, you are sorted into a level¹. After that level, there is a free choice (pun intended²) for further education. You often lose sight of those who ended up at other levels and don't come across them easily anymore. This level classification becomes your island and influences your worldview.
I am proud of how our education system and pupils are supported by passionate teachers and school boards. Like me, many of them hope that pupils on the different islands can meet more often. Could learn with and from each other. Arrive at better solutions and appreciation for each other through the exchange of different perspectives and approaches. Besides adding value to education, this could have the 'by-catch' of leading to more insight into, and perhaps even understanding of, each other's worldviews.
Ideally, this cross-pollination would take place in secondary, vocational, and higher education. For example, students from vocational education (MBO), universities of applied sciences (HBO), and universities working together, in time and space, on a project. There are already several educational pilots with such collaboration as their goal. However, the biggest hurdle appears to be the system. The structure of education programmes, the annual calendar, the EERs² – well-intended but rigid systems that determine the framework of our education. Many a pilot has retreated defeated to its own island like Don Quixote fighting windmills³ or got lost in the bureaucracy of existing processes⁴.
At our faculty (Science), involved staff and students are currently working on a faculty education vision. Besides how we can educate critically thinking and (self-)aware academics and responsible global citizens, the flexibilisation of our education is being discussed. The system should serve people, not the other way around. I unfortunately do not have a "cunning plan"⁵ (yet), but as a first step, let's de-regulate the system a bit more, to create space and opportunities for the exchange of perspectives.
