Training
Compulsory schooling and school differentiation according
to social backgrounds were established by the Education Act
of 1801 and 1806. The state financed public schools, while
the private depended on individual funds. The church
community was given the right in 1857 to organize education
within certain limits. The private, mostly Christian schools
were still ineligible for state support; only in 1917 did
the principle prevail that all schools should be treated
equally. About two-thirds of all students attend (1999) in
private schools. See TOPSCHOOLSINTHEUSA for TOEFL, ACT, SAT testing locations and high school codes in Netherlands.
The period 1920–80 was characterized by expansion and
democratization. In 1968, mainly the current system was
introduced, which was partly revised in 1981. More than 95%
of all children start the two-year preschool at the age of
four. It can be considered as an integral part of compulsory
school, which starts at age 6 and ends with standard exams
at age 11. After a one- or two-year school where all
students follow a common curriculum, different secondary
education programs, varying from 3 or 4-year vocational
preparatory schools (Lager vocational education,
LBO, and apprenticeship) over the 4 and 5-year
general preparatory schools Middelbaar wereld
continugezet education (MAVO) and Higher
general secondary education (MAVO)HAVO) to the
6-year university preparatory school Voorbereidend
wetenschappelijk onderwijs (VWO). From 1998,
the school system has begun to be revised; new topics are
introduced, topics are merged. Four lines are introduced
within VWO and HAVO at the same time as MAVO disappears.
Instead of as previously total freedom of choice, a common
part, a line-adapted part and a free part are introduced in
the subject choice. Over 90% of all 16-year-olds participate
in education, of which 1/3 in general and 2/3 in vocational
schools. LBO is usually followed by apprenticeship,
completed MAVO by apprenticeship or 3-year
administrative-financial education. The HAVO degree
qualifies for higher education. The university and
university programs are separate, and the VWO degree is
required for entry into the latter. 1/3 of all 18-year-olds
continue to study, and they distribute equally to colleges
and universities.
Amsterdam (Infrastructure)
Despite its unfavorable location, Amsterdam has the world's 17th largest
port, which is mainly used for transit goods. The access to resp. The North
Sea and the Rhine take place along the canals The North Sea Canal from 1876 and
the Amsterdam-Rijn Canal from 1952. The airport Schiphol SV for the city is from
1926 and among Europe's largest.
The city's metro system with east line, ring line and from 2011 a north-south
line is also designed for bicycles. This helps to strengthen Amsterdam's
position as one of the world's most bicycle - friendly cities. The north-south
line will contribute to a social renewal of Amsterdam Nord, one of the city's
outer districts with many young unemployed.
Amsterdam (History)
In 1275 a town is mentioned for the first time at "Amsteldamme", the dam with
a lock over the river Amstel. It was a small fishing village and a trading post
at the estuary near the then sea bay Zuidersøen, now IJsselmeer, and the lock
was where the National Monument is today. It was active in the Baltic Sea trade
and later also in the transit trade between the Baltic Sea and the
Mediterranean. In the 1400's, a city wall and new neighborhoods were built along
the canals that served for drainage and transportation.
The Calvinist Reformation and image storm reached Amsterdam in 1566, which,
however, due to trade interests, did not join the religiously and politically
motivated Dutch revolt against Spain until 1578. Also later, the city's peace
policy led to conflicts with the rest of the Netherlands and the princely house
Oranje.
When Antwerp was conquered by the Spaniards in 1585, Amsterdam took over its
leading position in world trade, the center of which had moved from the
Mediterranean to the Atlantic. The population of 30,000 in the 1500's, rose and
in 1660 reached 200,000. Protestants expelled from the southern Netherlands by
the Spaniards, and Jews from Portugal emigrated in large numbers to Amsterdam,
where they utilized their competence and capital, among other things. in the
diamond industry. The widespread freedom of religion and the press gave the city
a reputation for tolerance, which, however, had its limits: For example, the
philosophers Grotius and Spinoza were banished because of their opinions.
Through the Dutch East India Company (1602), the city gained a monopoly on
trade with the colonies in Asia (now Indonesia). Amsterdam Bank, founded in
1609, made the city a financial and credit center, whose merchants and bankers
provided loans to the whole of Europe - also to the Danish king. The political
power lay with this merchant elite, who also invested large sums in canal
projects, construction and art. However, there was also great poverty in
parallel, which appears in Rembrandt's paintings.
In the 1700's, Amsterdam, as a trading city, was overtaken by London and
Hamburg, without, however, being in absolute decline. Neither during the French
occupation 1795-1813 nor in the new Dutch-Belgian kingdom 1815-30 did the city
succeed in regaining its position.
Around 1870 a recovery set in thanks to the abolition of the colonial
monopoly and the increased trade as a result of the German industrial
revolution; The North Sea Canal was built, and the city gained access to the
sea. The progress was reflected in extensive public construction
(Rijksmuseum 1885, Concertgebouw 1888, Central Station 1889, the stock exchange
1903 and the Olympic Stadium 1928). Foresighted urban planning and extensive
social housing construction characterized the city's new expansion (1880:
300,000 inhabitants, 1900: 500,000, 1940: 800,000, 1953: 872,428, the highest
population so far).
During the German occupation 1940-45, most of the city's Jews perished,
approx. 70,000, in concentration camps. The famine winter of 1944-45 claimed
2,000 lives.
After the war, Amsterdam prospered despite the loss of the colonies and
competition from the ports of Antwerp and Rotterdam. In connection with the
youth uprising, the city became a popular travel destination for young people
from all over Europe, and it became known for its provos, which have since left
their mark on the city.
Since the mid-1960's, Amsterdam has housed guest workers from Turkey and
Morocco. The city's big challenge now (2006) is a continuous improvement of the
new Dutch's housing, school and work opportunities, as well as continuing to
develop a mutual understanding between the city's secular culture and the new
inhabitants' culture, eg the Islamic one. The history of Amsterdam is from the
end of the 1500's, the story of a city council tolerant and practical; an
inspiration to the whole world.
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