On Sunday October 3, the traditional Conference on the Family, organized every six months in Zonnewende, took place. This time the theme was integral education. By way of introduction, Rob Slaats, father of a family and a professional educator, pointed out some of the limitations experienced in society today. “The priority of providing formation has been replaced by the mere transmission of knowledge,” he said. “In addition, those who would like to collaborate with the school are often confused themselves.”

Martijn Pouw, a member of a think-tank on questions of education, suggested studying the viability of introducing a system of instruction based on the integral education of the student from a Christian perspective on man and society. In this approach, together with the acquisition of knowledge, a high priority would be given to the human and social development of the student.

A panel of experts made up of Martijn Pouw; Eric Luzac, a high school teacher; Anne-Marieke Posthumus-Averdijk, a primary school teacher; Geertrue Segers, director of Acacia, an educational center in Brussels; and Rob Slaats, father of a family, answered questions formulated by different groups. One of the topics discussed was the demand for diversification of schools.