The number of primary pupils is due to fall by seven percent in the next five years in the Netherlands. This figure is expected to be 12 percent in the three northern provinces and the provinces of Limburg in the south and Gelderland in the east. The predictions were presented by an education employment organisation (SBO) this morning.

At the moment there are 1.55 million pupils in primary school. The drop is mainly due to ageing. Although in the more remote rural provinces, the problem has been compounded by families moving to the large cities in the west of the country for jobs.

SBO predicts that secondary schools will face the same problem from 2015. Fewer pupils means less money. As a result, schools might have to cut back on quality. “ This added to government cuts could have a negative influence on the quality and the range of subjects offered,” says SBO manager Freddy Weima.

He advises schools to start thinking about measures they could take to anticipate the drop in numbers. He suggests they merge with other schools, rent out classrooms or drop subjects.

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