More students opt for university-based teacher training

Sem Thuis, an 18-year-old high school graduate, found himself weighing various university study options, including law, history, and social work. He knew he wanted a career that involved helping people and sharing knowledge. His search led him to the academic pabo at the University of Amsterdam, a program that merges university-level pedagogical science studies with a primary school teacher training college (pabo) qualification.

This four-year program allows students to earn two diplomas and a teaching license for primary education. The first academic pabo was established in 2008 to address a decline in high school graduates opting for traditional pabo programs. Sem, like many, questioned if the standard HBO pabo would be sufficiently challenging. "With the university pabo, you learn not only how to teach, but also theories about teaching," he explained. "You learn to be critical and how to conduct research."

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With the university pabo, you learn not only how to teach, but also theories about teaching. You learn to be critical and how to conduct research.

To confirm his choice, Sem spent a day observing a fourth-grade teacher at his former primary school in Almere. He assisted in the classroom, answering questions during independent work. "The moment they went from not understanding to understanding, when I saw that it clicked, that was very beautiful for me," he recalled.

University teacher training programs are experiencing a resurgence in popularity. For the second consecutive year, enrollment has risen, according to figures released by Universities of the Netherlands (UNL). Both primary and secondary education training programs saw increased student numbers in the past academic year, with overall registrations climbing by 13.5 percent. This rise is partly due to the diverse pathways available for university students seeking to become teachers, including specialized educational master's degrees and minors for limited teaching certifications in secondary education.

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The moment they went from not understanding to understanding, when I saw that it clicked, that was very beautiful for me.