MPs have expressed their support for a new set of requirements to boost the reading, writing and arithmetic skills of children in primary and secondary education but are not happy about a delay in implementation.

“The performance of Dutch children is lagging and it is important to have good basic skills,” junior education minister Mariëlle Paul said at the presentation of the document.

The core objectives for the three subjects were last reviewed in 2006 but have since been considered too vague and open to interpretation. The new norms, which include legible handwriting, proper speaking skills and the ability to understand algorithms, are more concrete, Paul said.

Teachers and committees spent ten years formulating 64 new requirements but the new government wants to narrow this down “considerably”. This will take time and will delay the implementation until August 2027.

Teachers are happy with the new requirements as they stand and want to get on with teaching them, MPs said. Coalition partners PVV and BBB also questioned the need for a delay.

Paul said the document needed “focus” and that any delay would be kept to a minimum. Schools could already start using the material based on the new norms, she said.