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Organization
Since the creation of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in
1813, the government has been responsible for providing
high quality education. This does not mean that the state
controls all education or that there is an "official" pedagogy.
In fact, since 1848, The Netherlands has had a constitution
that provides for freedom of education, that is to say freedom
for any segment of the population to start a school based
on religion, philosophy, or pedagogy.
But the public authorities obviously keep surveillance over
the entire educational system, enabling them to guarantee
a consistent level of quality for diplomas awarded in the
Netherlands.
Higher education consists of three tiers:
• Professional education (H.B.O)
• University education (W.O)
• International Education
Professional education (Hogescholen) :
Higher professional education (H.B.O) is taught in schools of
professional education. There are more than fifty such institutions
located throughout the country, offering seven areas of training:
economics and management, engineering and technology, health care,
social studies, agriculture, fine and performing arts, and education.
To be admitted, you must have a general high school diploma
(H.A.V.O) or a professional high school diploma (M.B.O)
or pass an entrance exam.
University education (W.O.) :
The Netherlands has 15 universities, including the Open University.
There are nine state universities (Groningen, Leiden, Maastricht,
Rotterdam, Utrecht, Wageningen, Delft, Eindhoven and Enschede),
one city university (Amsterdam) and three private universities,
founded by churches: two catholic (Nijmegen et Tilburg) and one
protestant (Amsterdam). The Nijenrode School of Management
has recently become the fourth private university in the Netherlands.
The Open University, also operated by the state, has its
headquarters in Heerlen. Three are technical universities (Delft,
Eindhoven and Enschede). Finally, the Netherlands has eight hospital-universities.
International education : Fifteen institutes for International
Education offer post-graduate courses in a wide range of fields
Open University
Adults who want a higher education can also register
in the Open University (OU). There are no prerequisites,
even if certain subjects presume prior knowledge. Responsibility
is left to the students themselves to evaluate if they are
capable of following the courses. Those with doubts can
consult a counselor. The Open University is also available
for working people who can only attend classes at night
or on weekends.
Academic calendar: The school year begins in September
and ends in mid-June. It is divided into two semesters,
each ending with exams.
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