MBO and HBO schools are experiencing more and more problems due to the public transport strikes, NRC reports. Students are increasingly forced to miss classes because buses, trams and trains are out of order. Due to the practical nature of vocational education, online lessons hardly offer a solution.
NRC has inventoried the problems of countless study programmes. Spokespersons and directors note more absenteeism. A major problem is the volatility of the strikes in regional transport. It is often not known in advance which buses, trams or trains will be running.
According to teachers and directors, the absence of students makes it seem as if “corona is back”. According to the MBO Council and the Association of Universities of Applied Sciences, there are major differences between the regions.
The problems mainly affect schools in rural provinces such as Drenthe, where many students live far from their education. For example, recently 20 of the 24 students at Drenthe College were unable to come to class due to a strike in transport.
The educational institutions point out that the strikes have a major impact on “students who are struggling financially”, because many of them have to continue to live at home.