The performance of Dutch pupils in the field of language and arithmetic has been declining for years.

Nearly a quarter of fifteen-year-olds leave school with low literacy. According to CDA Member of Parliament René Peters, something can and must be done about this. Today he pleads for a master plan for basic skills during the budget discussion of Education, Culture & Science.Peters: 'we can no longer accept that children leave school as functionally illiterate. Every child should learn to read, write and count. And every school works on citizenship in a good way. Anyone who wants to tackle inequality of opportunity ensures that the basics are in order.'According to Peters, there is sufficient scientifically proven didactics to teach pupils language and arithmetic effectively, but these methods are not always used. That should be the case.