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RTV Utrecht: Passed
Smiling faces, cheers, and lots of hugs: the atmosphere is electric in the lobby of Calscollege in Nieuwegein. The students who passed their exams gather there in the late afternoon to pick up their report cards and a flag. “I’m so happy I passed,” one student exclaims with a smile.
Live TV segment (RTV Utrecht), photos and text by Ulrike Nagel.
The day began, however, with much more nervousness for the students. Nail-bitingly keeping a close eye on their phones: that’s what the day looked like for more than 192,000 exam students today. Can they hang their backpacks on the flagpole, or do they need to dive into their books one last time? That was the question on the students’ minds. For the first time, students in vocational education are also receiving their results on the same day as the other final exam candidates. The long-awaited call sometimes took a while to come.
Ulrike Nagel for RTV Utrecht at the Calscollege in Nieuwegein
“But because of that, I secretly already knew I had passed,” says one of the students. “The students who failed find out a little earlier.” Those students were allowed to come to school a little earlier to review their report cards and discuss their options. They then went to another room so they wouldn’t be in the middle of the celebrations.
More complaints than ever
The National Student Action Committee (LAKS) in Utrecht received a record number of complaints about the final exams this year. This year, there were over 307,000 complaints—21,000 more than last year. Even before the exams began, the organization was concerned. This is due to the lifting of the COVID-19-related accommodations.
This year’s graduating class has had to deal extensively with canceled classes, online lessons, and teacher absences due to illness. In addition, for the first time in two years, the relaxed measures—such as an extra retake opportunity and the option to drop a subject—have been reversed. “These students did experience the pandemic during their school years,” says Petra Ubels, head of the upper-level VWO program. “But we pulled out all the stops to ensure they could get through the exams as successfully as possible.”
At Cals College, they’ve noticed in the HAVO program that the elimination of those concessions has led to a slight drop in the pass rate. “As far as we know at this point, the pass rate is slightly lower than last year,” says the team leader. “In the VWO program, the rates appear to be virtually the same.”
“In the HAVO program, however, there are more students than last year who still have to take a retake,” says Ubels. So there’s no celebratory mood here—it’s back to the books one more time. Next Monday marks the start of the second session of final exams. This session is intended for students who did not take all their exams during the first session or who are retaking an exam. The results will be announced on July 6.
Ulrike Nagel for RTV Utrecht at the Calscollege in Nieuwegein
