Chapter 17: Implementation and Effects of European and International Orientation at Secondary Schols in The Netherlands

Since the early 1990s, internationalisation has been a major theme in Dutch educational policy. The Dutch Minister’s white paper Grenzen Verleggen (Widening Horizons)—issued in 1991—proved to be a landmark in the development of internationalisation activities in schools (Ministerie van Onderwijs, Cultuur en Wetenschap [Ministry of Education, Culture and Science], 1991). The aim of augmenting internationalisation was to enhance the personal and cultural development of pupils as well as pupils’ European awareness (Oonk, 2007). As a result, attainment targets for lower secondary education were adapted to reflect the internationalisation objectives for schools. Moreover, national examination topics for upper secondary education were reformulated. The 1991 white paper also marked the beginning of the first national and bilateral programs such as the pupil exchange program Iku, the study visit program Plato, the neighboring country program Gros, and the program for bilingual education (Oonk, 2007).¹