Education in Holland

New Zealand Tablet, 4 May 1911, Page 803

Education in Holland

.■'•' Holland is a Protestant nation (says the Boston Pilot). In its population the Protestants compare with the Catholics as four to one. It is the classic land of Calvinism, Jansenism, and other anti-Catholic sects. Yet the Protestants of Holland are awake to the dangers of secular education. They have now united with the Catholics to safeguard Christian principles while compromising none of their own denominational rights. According to the Netherlands Law all public instruction is neutral; at the same time private schools may be freely established under licensed teachers; public and private schools are equal before the law; and education is compulsory. But practically, although the Dutch made an effort to secure neutrality in the public schools, they are compelled to admit failure. They went so far as to appoint Catholic teachers in Catholic communes, and Protestant teachers where Protestants prevailed, with instructions to be scrupulous in their neutrality towards the minority. .' Private schools in Holland are established by incorporated school committees, and cannot be subsidised either directly or indirectly by the communes. The State pays them on fulfilment of certain conditions relating to management and secular instruction. Their staff must hav?. certificates of grade, and must be able to give eighteen hours weekly teaching in all obligatory subjects. The public inspector is responsible for the execution of these regulations. Upon receipt of his report the private school receives from the State a subsidy equal to the minimum salaries m fixed for the national contribution to primary education in all schools. Private schools are subject to State inspection, but the inspectors have nothing to do with the religious instruction, nor with the ordinary finances. Nor can they control the appointment or promotion of teachers who are possessed of the necessary certificates. In order to prevent the accusation of unfair competition the public schools charge each pupil ten pennies a month. The State has the power to give special aid to public schools, but not to private schools. The system works wonderfully well, giving satisfaction to Protestants and Catholics alike. The dangers of absolute secularism are removed; the public schools receive the larger share of patronage, but the private schools are not allqwed to go unprovided. As a result education in Holland has made such immense progress that the percentage of untaught persons in that country is the lowest in Europe.

The condition of education in the Netherlands is thus an answer to those in America who fear to be just to the Catholics. They have proven definitely that where there is a will there is a way. > ~j