According to Arend van den Berg, editor in chief of Z24 – a Dutch business news website – we tend to spend more money on our education when the economy is in a bad state. That is one of the reasons why the amount of money spent on homework tutoring runs at about one hundred million Euros.
Ivo Richaers, the founder of Studiekring huiswerkbegeleiding – a Dutch homework tutoring company – says that he started this business in the 90s when there were a couple of education reforms that required quite a bit more independence of students. Not to mention the fact that there has been (and is) a dramatic increase in the number of double income families. Lots of kids come back from school to an empty home and often don’t possess the much-needed discipline to do their homework without supervision from a parent. Richaers also mentions the fact that he thinks a lot of parents don’t feel like facing the daily struggle of getting their kids to do their homework.
The educational system used to be a way to rise above your parents’ socio-economic level. In the current system that’s become virtually impossible. Former Minister of Education, Jo Ritzen, proposes a voucher system in which indigent parents can trade these vouchers for homework tutoring.
Why is it that we, Dutch citizens, value our big houses, holidays and flat screen TVs more than we do our children? By striving for the double income we are creating a situation in which other people can take over the parental role. Where did the time go when a kid came home from school, mother (or father) was sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of tea or a glass of lemonade, asked about your day and whether you had any homework to do? It seems parents rarely help their children with their homework anymore.
Instead conflict about homework has to be avoided at all costs, because parents want to have a fun time with their children when they’re actually home to enjoy them.
“I’m sorry kid, I hate to break this to you… Can’t we just be friends?”
