Four North Holland primary schools that did not require final year pupils to take the mandatory early streaming tests in Dutch and maths have reinstated them under the threat of having their government funding cut.

Junior education minister Mariëlle Paul, imposed an “urgent instruction” on the schools – an administrative order that’s only been used once before – on Tuesday, giving them until March 7 to administer the test or face a loss of monthly funding.

The schools said the potential penalties were “too drastic” and they had “no other option” than to comply.

Jikke Hornman, deputy director of De Molenwiek primary school in Haarlem, told the Volksrant: “The financial sanctions that the minister is threatening would put pressure on the provision of education. The children would suffer as a result and that is not worth it to us.”

The schools and others who object to the early streaming test, which schools use to determine what type of secondary education students should go into, say it’s too focused on language and maths, limited by its multiple-choice format and doesn’t consider the views of teachers.

“Too influential”

Since last year, schools have been required to adjust the level of students upwards if the test results suggest they should, which those opposed to the test say gives it too much weight.

The four schools have now jointly decided to administer the test to the some three-quarters of pupils who have not taken it.

“I find it extremely serious that school boards in the Netherlands are deliberately and knowingly breaking the law,” Paul said. “Because the school boards are not sufficiently ensuring a proper conclusion to education in this way, the inspectorate finds that there is a substantial suspicion of mismanagement.”

Paul believes the test contributes to equal opportunities for students and a chance for many to go to a more advanced secondary school.

“Power play”

But Hornman calls it a “power play”.

“The ministry wants to make it clear who has the power,” she said.

Even Saskia Wools, chairman of test makers Cito’s board of directors, says the test has become too important. “A test is just a test.”

Although the four schools have abandoned the idea of going to court for a case they think they have little chance of winning, they’ve vowed to press ahead.

“Sometimes you don’t achieve what you want, but you do achieve something else,” said Hornman. “Our approach has caused a lot of discussion about the transition test. We think that’s positive and we’re proud of it.”