This presentation was given by Rien Rouw of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science in the Hague on 7 December during the Workshop A on When trust breaks down.

1. Restoring trust between
teachers and the government in
The Netherlands
OECD GCES Conference Trust and Education
The Hague
December 7th 2015

2. A hot winter
 Two teacher strikes
in the winter of
2012
 Directed at the
government

3. Background 1 Freedom of
education
 Constitutional right to establish
schools…
 … and to choose a school that fits
your conviction (1917)
 Funded by the government if you meet
conditions
 Freedom of interventions from the
government
 Institutionalized distrust ?

4. Background 2 Government
interventions
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
2000 2015
Administration
Content

5. Background 3 Wages

6. Background 4 Change of
discourse
 Appearance of the
‘bad teacher’ (poor
quality teacher)
 Should be
subjected to
literacy test
 Should be fired

7. Trust breakdown 2012
 Teachers felt left
alone
 Concrete
measures
◦ Teaching time in
secondary education
◦ Inclusive education
mainly in primary
education combined
with budget cuts
 Two strikes
◦ January 20.000
◦ March 50.000

8. Restoration of trust: a balancing
act
 Restorative
measures
◦ A more rich and
supportive discourse
◦ National Agreement
◦ Collaborative policy
making
◦ Investing in
professional
development
◦ Raising salaries
 Critisized
measures
◦ Obligatory
registration
◦ Standardized testing
of numeracy

9. Change of discourse
 Rich and many-
sided
 Supportive of
professionalism
and (collective)
autonomy of
teachers
Economic
returns
Social
Cohesion
Individual
growth

10. Collaboration and investment
 National Agreement on Education 2013
◦ Agreed upon by representatives of employers
and teachers
◦ Long term agreement!
◦ Investing in employment, and professional
development
 Teachers’ Program 2013-2020
◦ Based on intensive and broad consultations
with teachers and other relevant stakeholders
◦ Aimed at strengthening the profession and
raising the status of teaching; stimulating
induction and professional learning
communities

11. TRUST IS HARD TO GAIN
BUT EASY TO LOSE
m.a.rouw@minocw.nl