Travel Active launches bilingual programme in Dutch high schools

Cultural exchange organisation Travel Active is now offering a bilingual High School Holland programme to its agent partners.

The programme allows international high school students in grades seven to ten to study English and Dutch in The Netherlands. Half of classes will be taught in Dutch and the other half in English.

“English is no longer considered a foreign language in The Netherlands,” said Anne Meijers, Program Director at Travel Active. “Now one in four Dutch high schools offers bilingual programmes.”

Bilingual education, or ‘tweetalig onderwijs’, has been gaining momentum in The Netherlands over the last 30 years. The programmes offered to international students will meet a standardised level of quality, taking into consideration the language level of both teachers and pupils, distribution of the bilingual curriculum over the subjects, teaching time in English and the didactic qualities of the teachers.

All students reach an English proficiency level in the ninth grade that corresponds to level B2 (VWO) or B1 (HAVO) of the European Framework of Reference.

Perhaps surprisingly, the pandemic has fueled impressive growth in the number of inbound students attending the Travel Active High School Holland programme. “We are seeing a spike in European students who are unable to go to Australia, New Zealand and Canada due to travel restrictions joining our programmes in The Netherlands,” Anne explained.

The Netherlands has taken the top spot on EF’s annual English Proficiency Index for the last two years. And it is not just the possibility of improving their English that is attracting foreign students: “The Netherlands is known to be a safe, liberal country. Parents feel comfortable sending their kids here and students love the international atmosphere and the opportunity to open themselves up to a new culture,” explained Anne.

For more information on the High School Holland programme, click here.