5 months Ago
The move comes amid mounting fears over plummeting levels of literacy. According to the most recent international PISA study, which comes from 2023, one in three Dutch 15-year-olds is unable to read at the expected level, putting them at greater risk of having difficulty at school and of being functionally illiterate as an adult. The Ministry hopes that this investment will help to make reading fun and accessible for every student, no matter their background.
Activities to Cultivate a Love for Reading
Research demonstrates that children who participate in De Bibliotheek op school read more and with more motivation. Better reading skills also help with vocabulary and general knowledge. 'Reading crucial in a complex society' According to Adriaan Langendonk from Stichting Lezen, reading is of the essence in today's complex society. After 17 years of working to support literacy, Langendonk believes that each child is entitled to a good start in reading.
The benefits are apparent in Roosje van Driest's classroom in Amsterdam-Zuidoost on a daily basis, said the teacher and reading consultant. At her school, which enrolls a large number of students from poor families, reading is made a routine and visible aspect of education. Teachers do not merely teach reading skills, they also teach comprehension and a love of reading. The school is closely connected to the city library to develop reading programs, like summer reading challenges that are made for the students.
For many students who are multilingual, having access to books in many languages is the most important part, Van Driest said. The school has a variety of resources available in The Library at School to meet this need.
Constructing Classrooms that Contribute Language
The idea is the same at De Hunenborg primary school in Hengelo, where teacher and reading coordinator Elian Meenhuis recently launched a multi-language book collection. He emphasizes the value of a rich language environment, regardless of whether it's through novels or cookbooks in any language. Meenhuis also agrees that training teachers how to teach reading can help raise literacy levels for students and that the classroom is an important place to develop reading skills.
"Teachers need to be passionate readers themselves," says Van Driest. And she insists that reading aloud should begin early — even during pregnancy — since language development starts even before birth. Schools, she thinks, need to make books easily accessible, arrange for library visits and encourage conversations about reading. With the right kind of help and encouragement, she says, chances are children will keep reading for life.
