With the proposed revision of qualification requirements and the introduction of a mandatory institutional examination as of 2027, the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science is taking a significant step in secondary vocational education. UAP Coalition Netherlands wholeheartedly supports this change of course and has submitted its official consultation response. Our message: do not focus education entirely on 'desired behavior', but also on teaching hard, analytical skills and source criticism.
In a society full of disinformation, fake news, and rapidly changing perceptions, MBO students need down-to-earth, factual tools. The societal and scientific dossier surrounding Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) proves to be an exceptionally powerful case study in educational practice for honing these skills.
What do students learn in practice?
In collaboration with secondary vocational education, we have developed a curriculum in which students actively work on:
- Source Criticism & Media Analysis: Learning to separate facts from speculation by comparing official government documents, WOO papers, and investigation reports with media coverage.
- Dealing with stigmatization: Analyzing how societal biases influence public debate and can lead to fear of reporting among professionals, such as pilots and defense personnel.
- Government transparency: Gaining insight into how democratic decision-making works and how governments deal with complex or unknown issues.
Proven 'best practice' with ROC Nijmegen
That this approach works has already been demonstrated in teaching practice. Our teaching methodology has been successfully rolled out at ROC Nijmegen, in close collaboration with the Citizenship teaching team, which was named national in 2025. Education Team of the Year.
Invitation to the Ministry
As a supplement to our consultation response, we have invited the MBO Directorate of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science to attend one of our guest lectures. This allows them to experience firsthand how MBO students work with these renewed citizenship objectives in a critical and constructive manner.
Curious about our full response?
You can find our full consultation response here. find.
Teacher or educational developer in secondary vocational education?
Would you like to know more about our guest lectures or how these case studies can be used within your institution? Please feel free to contact us via our contact page.
