Schools should be able to buy teaching methods separately
VO-raad wants to end compulsory combinations of paper books and digital licences.
Secondary schools should have more freedom when purchasing teaching methods, the VO-raad says. The organisation wants schools to be able to buy components separately rather than automatically having to take a digital method with a book.
The debate concerns how schools purchase learning materials. According to the VO-raad, schools are regularly offered packages in which a paper book, a workbook and an online licence are linked. This makes it harder for school boards to choose a different combination or switch to a competing method.
The sector organisation is calling for contracts offering greater freedom of choice and shorter terms. Schools should, for example, be able to purchase only the component they actually use. According to the VO-raad, this could help limit waste and unnecessary costs, particularly in the case of workbooks that cannot be reused after one school year.
The call forms part of a broader debate about the learning materials market. The VO-raad, SIVON, Kennisnet and publishers’ organisation MEVW have previously published recommendations on more transparent contracts and a wider range of separate components. There has also been criticism in education of the combination of expensive books and compulsory digital access.
The legal situation will not change immediately as a result of the call. The government stipulates that secondary schools must make certain books and digital licences available to pupils free of charge. The school remains responsible for supplying them, even when a bookseller or another external party handles distribution.
The Authority for Consumers & Markets (ACM) is meanwhile investigating how the learning materials market operates in foundational education. The VO-raad expects the findings of that investigation to become available before the end of 2026. Those findings could further influence the debate about power relations, contracts and prices.
For schools, greater choice could create room to align teaching methods more closely with their educational vision. At the same time, purchasing books, digital material and devices separately requires more expertise and organisational capacity. There is a risk that smaller schools in particular will struggle to arrange suitable combinations, support and digital security themselves.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- The VO-raad is calling for greater freedom of choice when purchasing learning materials.
- Schools must currently make certain books and digital licences available free of charge.
- The ACM is investigating how the learning materials market operates.
Left
Arguments Learning materials are public infrastructure and must not make schools and pupils dependent on a few large publishers. Greater public direction, reusable books and open educational resources could limit costs and inequality.
Values Equal opportunities, affordability, public oversight and sustainability.
Consequences More regulation could reduce waste, but would require investment in public alternatives and quality control.
Centre
Arguments Schools should be able to choose, but quality, privacy, digital security and continuity must be guaranteed. Transparent contracts and an independent quality framework are probably more important than a single compulsory purchasing model.
Values Quality, practicality, freedom of choice and institutional responsibility.
Consequences Gradual reform could give schools more room to manoeuvre without leaving pupils caught between systems or suppliers.
Right
Arguments Competition between publishers and room for school boards could lead to innovation and lower prices. Schools should be able to decide for themselves which method suits their education and should not be steered too heavily by the government.
Values Freedom of choice, entrepreneurship and school autonomy.
Consequences Greater competition could improve what is on offer, but small schools could have less bargaining power and face a greater administrative burden.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The article clearly distinguishes between a call from the VO-raad and existing policy. The legal obligations and the ACM investigation have been checked against government and sector sources.
- confirmed The VO-raad wants schools to be able to purchase teaching methods and digital components separately. — This is the core of the current reporting and is consistent with earlier recommendations from the VO-raad and MEVW. source
- confirmed Digital licences are covered by the teaching materials made available free of charge in secondary education. — Confirmed by Rijksoverheid.nl. source
- confirmed The ACM is investigating how the learning materials market operates. — Mentioned in publicly available information from the VO-raad and in parliamentary documents. source
Editor's note
The VO-raad’s current call has been confirmed by independent reporting and is consistent with earlier public proposals from schools and publishers. No decision has yet been taken that would actually give schools new legal freedom of choice in purchasing.Sources
- VO-raad wil meer keuze voor scholen bij aanschaf schoolboeken — Welingelichte Kringen
- Scholen en uitgevers vergroten keuzevrijheid en transparantie in leermiddelenmarkt vo — MEVW
- Hoe zit het met gratis schoolboeken en lesmaterialen in het voortgezet onderwijs? — Rijksoverheid
- Digitale leermiddelen — Tweede Kamer
More on this in Dutch media
- NRC — „schoolboeken vo-raad”
- NU.nl — „schoolboeken vo-raad”
- De Telegraaf — „schoolboeken vo-raad”