Opposition parties form alliance against education cuts

Opposition parties D66, CDA, and JA21 are joining forces to get a large part of the cuts in education that the Schoof Cabinet wants to implement off the table. Together, the parties are good for 15 seats in the lower house of Dutch parliament but can help the coalition to the necessary majority for their plans in the Senate.

The parties want to see the long-term study fine scrapped and the social service time retained. They also want to save the extended school day for disadvantaged children. Furthermore, as far as they are concerned, the cut in teacher salaries must be scrapped.

Of the total 2 billion euros in proposed cuts in education, the opposition parties want to find a different use for 1.3 billion euros. They are looking for that money in the budgets of other ministries, including Public Health. There, savings can be made by, among other things, making medical specialists a salaried employee and reducing the deductible less.

According to Joost Eerdmans from JA21, this plan can easily be implemented. “Money is money. How you get it together doesn’t matter, as long as the House agrees. In this day and age, cutting back on education is the stupidest thing you can do. We are groaning under a crisis in reading and arithmetic, there are major concerns about the connection of young people to the labour market and then the government comes up with a billion-dollar cut. This is very, very short-term thinking,” he told the Volkskrant.

By threatening a blockade in the Senate, the opposition had previously managed to force changes in the Cabinet’s tax plan. This now includes additional tax relief for families with one breadwinner, a long-cherished wish of the Christian parties. The VAT increase on culture and sports remained, but there is a firm promise to come up with an alternative for this next spring.

PVV, VVD, and BBB together have 30 seats in the Senate. For a majority, eight more are needed. D66, CDA, and JA21 together have 14 seats.