By Sara Manzi
The Netherlands is a pluralistic, multi-religious, and secularised country with a decentralised educational system. In the last decades, the country has seen a decline in Roman Catholic and Protestant believers. In addition, according to Statistics Netherlands (CBS), six out of ten Dutch people are not religious, and for the first time in Dutch history, atheists and agnostics represent the majority. Nevertheless, the number of children who attend religious schools is about 60%. Since the Freedom of Education Act, signed by the government in 1917 and enshrined in Article 23 in 1987, educators are allowed to set up their curriculum, start their schools, or provide homeschooling. Dutch primary and secondary schools are divided into two categories: public-authority schools run by the government and private schools, or Bijzonder Onderwijs, literally in Dutch, particular schools, not to be confused with Speciaal Onderwijs or special schools, specialised to deal with physical and/or learning disabilities. The private schools operate independently and are based on a specific religion or educational philosophy, such as Montessori, Steiner, Freinet, Dalton, Jenaplan, or Waldorf. Two-thirds of the children attend private schools. Both public and private schools receive government funding, a policy considered unique in Europe.
Denominational schools in the Netherlands follow a specific faith, such as Protestant, Evangelical, Reformed, Roman-Catholic, Islamic, Hindu, and Jewish. Many of these schools are moderate in their religious perspectives, and they are not allowed to discriminate by rejecting certain students or teachers. Since 1985, primary schools (both public and private) are obliged to provide the Religious and Ideological Movements class, which is based on objective religious lessons aimed at familiarising students with the main world religions or worldviews. Besides that, children at a public-authority school have the right to follow, voluntarily, and generally in grade 5, 6, 7 or 8, extracurricular religious or humanistic classes provided by the external organisation Centre of Worldview Education (Centrum van Vorming Onderwijs, CVO), subsidized by the government and a cooperation of seven committees: Buddhist, Hindu, Humanistic, Islamic, Jewish, Catholic, and Protestant. The teachers provide lessons according to their philosophy of life, and in doing so they teach from their inner worldview perspective. Their main goal is to trigger an interactive and experiential learning process through which children reflect on what values and norms they consider important in their lives and what the effect of their behaviours is on others. The focus is indeed on the children and their identity development, and not on the worldview. The school or/and the parents can choose out of two different programs: first, there is the possibility to opt for what is called the Classical Model: a worldview teacher comes over to teach once a week for 45 minutes for only those children of the same worldview and whose educators have specifically asked for it. The other option is the so-called Carrousel Model of Inter-Worldview Education, meant for all children in class. Sometimes, four worldviews alternate, each of them teaching 10 weeks on a row. Sometimes, the children of two or three classes are mixed and split into smaller groups. Each group learns about a specific subject – such as ‘Me and the other’ – from one of the different worldviews, they have a common end-session about the theme – what did you learn or experience? – and then they alternate. In one year, all children get more acquainted with three or four worldviews. The Carousel Model intends to expose children to several worldviews and encourage them to make connections and find common ground among the different traditions. Over the past few years, in Europe, the Inter-Worldviews Educational Model has been increasingly promoted by both political and educational policymakers because it nourishes mutual understanding, a critical mind, social cohesion, and respect for diversity. In addition, through dialogical learning, the children practice how to interact with others on life matters and how to inhabit the pluralistic microcosm that school personifies.
While the Humanist, Protestant and Catholic varieties are by far the most popular, the Buddhist worldview currently has seven Buddhist teachers working for over 35 schools. The Buddhist Worldview Education (Boeddhistisch Vormingsonderwijs BVO) exists since 2018 and is growing. Its final responsibility is in the Buddhist Union of the Netherlands (Boeddhistische Unie Nederland, or BUN).
The BUN was founded in 1990 as an association of Buddhist sangha’s in the Netherlands and is now an official religious partner of the State. The teachers hold a teaching diploma and follow training provided by the Centre of Worldview Education and a second one by the BVO. Through an internal platform, teachers can share their experience, what worked or did not work in the lessons, adapt their materials, or add new resources.
When they started, explains Helma Ton, the head of BVO in a recent interview, five teachers from different Buddhist sanghas worked together to find a common ground for the curriculum. In the end, they selected ten subjects considered important in Buddhism: interconnectedness, generosity, Brahmavihāra (compassion, sympathetic joy, loving kindness towards oneself and others, and contentment), perception, impermanence, honest communication, and mindfulness. In the lessons, the teachers use different methods: stories, videos, games, and creative assignments, and generally, they end with a mindfulness exercise, such as listening to the bell or breathing. Usually, in the first two lessons, the children learn a couple of stories about Prince Siddharta and get acquainted with the Buddhist context. In the following lessons, teachers focus more on experiential learning than on cognitive and content-based information. Instead of saying, ‘We believe that…’, the teachers share how they address life’s issues according to their Buddhist practice. The children are then invited to pose questions and share their experiences, opinions, and reflections. In addition, they are stimulated to explore what the wisdom of the Buddha can mean concretely in their lives. The BVO motto is ‘do not take anything for granted but investigate for yourself what is helpful (or ‘kusala’ beneficial) and what is not helpful (‘akusala’ un-beneficial). And not only for yourself but also for others.’ The primary goal, points out Helma, is that the children are stimulated to get along in life with wisdom and compassion.
The BVO provides lessons in collaboration with other worldview teachers. Helma underlines that the Inter-Worldviews Education concept is typically Buddhist because children, learning from several worldviews, might choose what works best for them. In other schools where the Classical Model is requested, parents who apply for Buddhist classes for their children are generally Westerners interested in mindfulness, adds Helma. The ethnic Buddhists instead seem to prefer Christian schools because they want their children assimilate the values and norms of the country, they live in. Being Buddhist is a way of life and part of their culture, and their children do not need to learn it at school.
As research has shown, storytelling connects children to their imagination and new ideas and engages them in further discussion. As Silvie Walraven, a Buddhist teacher at BVO since 2018, explains, the children generally appreciate the stories about Prince Siddharta, and they like to share what resonates with them about the story. Stories are not only a means to talk about the Buddhist tradition and moral concepts, but they also serve as a bridge to reflection and sharing moments among the students and with the teacher.
For example, when Siddhartha sits under the tree and Mara tries to distract him, the youngests see Mara as the monster who hides under your bed when it is time to go to sleep. The teacher encourages the children to view Mara not as a real monster or demon but as diverting or upsetting thoughts and feelings, trying to distract Siddharta from what he intends to do. Often, after this story, the children share how they try to deal with their thoughts or give tips to each other.
Silvie adds: ‘In the class, we try to avoid terms such as bad and good because it is important that children realise that in Buddhism, a behaviour could be helpful or unhelpful, and no living being is itself bad or good.’ In addition, a trusting and unjudgmental environment is crucial to boosting participation and respectful communication among the pupils. The biggest challenge in her lessons is when children are not interested or open to participating or exchanging their views with their peers. On the contrary, one of the nicest sides of the lesson is when a child comes to school and shares how mindfulness has helped her fall asleep, and when they feel comfortable enough to talk openly about their personal experiences. When unexpected situations happen in the classroom, Silvie stresses that it is important that the teacher create space, give appropriate attention to the issue, and explain how, as a Buddhist, she would deal with it. It is crucial to create a safe sphere where they can share their ideas without fear of being silenced by stronger opinions. Sometimes strong emotions might arise in the classroom, and that is the right opportunity to acknowledge what is happening and be aware that those are sensitive subjects that need to be brought up to a normal level. Especially coming from Buddhism, she considers the psychological side of the mind an interesting part to develop.
In conclusion, teaching has the critical role of arousing pupils’ potential and educating them to become active citizens able to embrace diversity and pluralism. In our complex and intersectional societies, it becomes essential to acknowledge how interconnected we are and that living harmoniously together is the ultimate human wish. While InterWorldviews Education supports a culture of peace and justice, Buddhism contributes to cultivating a compassionate and insightful way of being and acting in the world, no matter what you believe or consider to be your spiritual or secular path.
Helma Ton is head of BVO, a certified trainer in (interpersonal) mindfulness and compassion (MBSR, MBCL), a Deep Listening and Mindful Speech trainer, and chairwoman of Sangha Metta, a Dutch foundation that organises vipassana retreats. She studied Italian Language and Literature, and she worked as a translator and in politics as an alderman and mayor.
Silvie Walraven is a primary school teacher and Buddhist teacher, a mindfulness trainer for children and adults, and the director of the Maitreya Institute of Tibetan Buddhism in Amsterdam. She lived in Bhutan and Nepal for 15 years, where she worked as a teacher at a Dutch local school.
Website: https://boeddhistischvormingsonderwijs.nl/
About the author
Sara Manzi is a language teacher, peace educator, and Vipassana practitioner. She studied Social Sciences for Peace and African Studies and holds a language teaching diploma. She is currently enrolled in the master’s programme in Religious Sciences and Intercultural Mediation at the University of Turin. She does not strictly belong to a Buddhist sangha, but she feels mostly connected to the Forest Theravada tradition and the Santacittarama monastery in Italy. She is originally Italian and lives in The Netherlands with her husband and daughter. She loves writing, reading children’s books, learning languages and instruments, and spending time in nature with her family.
This article first appeared in EBU Magazine #11 – Buddhism and Education (Autumn 2023). Download the full issue as PDF or browse all issues.