What is “vmbo” in the Dutch school system?
Vmbo is niet dom: over schoolniveau en vooroordelen
A2 Dutch listening practice · Dutch · Picked for people who know a little
Vmbo is the lowest of three Dutch high-school tracks. The country sorts students at age 12: vwo prepares for university, havo for college, vmbo for vocational training. The cultural stigma sticks: vmbo carries a dom (“dumb”) tag, even though those kids grow up into well-paid plumbers, nurses, and electricians. The stratification is one of the most-criticized parts of the Dutch system, and OECD reports periodically push the country to delay the streaming until later.
In this NPO Zapp clip, a girl at a Rotterdam vmbo (Carnisse College) describes how classmates Lila and Bo cooled off: “Alsof ik dommer en slechter ben dan de mensen op het vwo.”
How common are the words?
How common are the words in this A2 Dutch listening practice video?
How common in written Dutch
How common in spoken Dutch
Harder words in this video
These words are harder than A2. Here is what they mean.
Source: wordfreq 3.1.1 (general) · SUBTLEX-NL 2014 (spoken). These numbers are close, not perfect.
- ▸In Dutch education-policy reporting (NRC Onderwijs, De Volkskrant, Trouw)
- ▸In Dutch teen TV addressing class divides (*Brugklas, SpangaS, Welkom Thuis*)
- ▸In OECD-comparative coverage of European school systems (OECD Education, Onderwijsinspectie, SCP)
- ▸In Dutch youth-debate broadcasting (NPO Radio 1, BNR Nieuwsradio, Het Klokhuis)