Education in ‘citizenship’ is a crucial initiative aimed at addressing and embracing diversity in education. Since 2006, citizenship has been a compulsory subject in primary, secondary, and special needs education (as laid down in Article 8.3 of the Primary Education Act, Article 17 of the Secondary Education Act, and Article 11.3 of the Expertise Centres Act). Citizenship is not a separate subject in many schools and is often integrated into other subjects, such as social studies and religious education. Due to the considerable autonomy of schools, the way in which citizenship (and thereby diversity) is addressed varies. However, since 2021, new legal requirements have been introduced for the promotion of citizenship in primary education, secondary education, and special needs education, which provides more structure. This legal mandate states that schools must promote ‘active citizenship and social cohesion’. Schools must teach all pupils about the fundamental values of the Dutch constitutional state and democracy, such as freedom, equality, and solidarity. In upper secondary vocational education (mbo), there have been statutory requirements in place for a longer time, as set out in the citizenship qualification requirements, which include topics such as democracy, tolerance, and freedom of speech.
How diversity is addressed in (citizenship) education, both separately and in an integrated manner, is not clearly defined. It is a theme in the broadest sense of the word, encompassing cultural, ethnic, and sexual diversity. However, themes such as slavery, religion, looted art, and (de)colonialism are increasingly receiving attention in education. It is also strongly advised to include these themes in the curriculum. For example, a 2023 advisory report recommended giving information about the former colony of the Dutch East Indies a place in the curriculum, and to include it in the core objectives and attainment targets in upper secondary vocational education for the subject citizenship. Research from 2018 suggests that most schools regard cultural diversity as beneficial and therefore address the subject in the classroom. This is especially the case when a large proportion of pupils have a migration background.
There is also increasing attention to diversity and variety in Dutch informal (out-of-school) arts education. Students can learn about world music and international dance, or more modern dance styles such as hip-hop and breakdance. In some music schools, foreign instruments such as the bağlama (saz) are increasingly becoming part of the curriculum. In out-of-school music education, developments are taking place in both the content and the way music lessons are delivered.
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