Verus, Association for Catholic and Christian Scho

The Netherlands

Chairman


E-mail:

representative

Piet Jansen
E-mail:



The Work

What is your mission and vision?
Focus areas of the organization?
Verus is the Association for Catholic and Christian Schools in the Netherlands. About sixty percent of all primary and secondary schools are a member of Verus. Also some of the schools for vocational training and institutes for higher education and universities are among the members. We take part in the public and political debate on education from a Catholic and Christian perspective, we look after the interests of our members and provide services including lobbying with government authorities, organizing networking activities, providing knowledge exchange, involving in academic research and giving advice and support to school boards and management on judicial matters, governance, HRM, finances, quality and identity.

About your own members of the national organization

      Description of the members of the organization:

  • Schools
    Which kind of schools?  Schools with a Christian (protestant), Catholic or interconfessional denomination
    How many members does your organization have?  700 schoolboards
    How many schools at which level?  3500 schools at all age levels
    How many pupils are attending these schools? 1.3 million

Organizational policy

Which questions and tasks concerning the organization do you emphasize for the coming years?
Verus supports member schools in their mission for good and valuable education in both the general qualitative and legal standards and Catholic and Christian views on good life. Verus emphasizes the value of Catholic and Christian education in the life of children, youngsters and students. Education in Catholic and Christian schools is strongly related to values of the parents.

Current challenges

Which challenges are for the organization the most important currently?
The position of Catholic and Christian schools is changing due to individualization and secularization. Demographic changes threaten the diversity of schools, especially in rural areas. Verus supports schools with an analysis on this matter for their region and offers ideas about possible ways of dealing with these developments. The position of Catholic, Christian and other independent schools is an ongoing subject of public and political debate and the amount of autonomy is constantly threatened by regulations that lead to more uniformity. This requires careful study and constant lobbying.

Information

In what information are you especially interested in?
The development of Catholic, Christian and other independent schools all over Europe is relevant and a reason for common reflection and action. The overall issue of the changing relationship with the respective states is a common concern.

Contacts

  • Website

    www.besturenraad.nl
  • E-mail

    info@besturenraad.nl
  • Telephone

    +31 (0)348 74 44 44
  • Fax

    +31 (0)348 41 14 56
  • Address

    Houttuinlaan 5b
    NL- 3447 GM Woerden
    THE NETHERLANDS
    P.O. Box 381
    NL - 3440 AJ Woerden
    THE NETHERLANDS