Foundation entoen.nu springs from the Committee for the Development of the Dutch Canon. On July 3rd 2007 the Committee presented its final report, a wall chart and this website to the Dutch Minister of Education, Culture & Science.
The report of the Committee (published as A Key to Dutch History, pdf, 24 Mb) can be summarized as follows:
- A canon for all Dutch people
- as a story of the country we all live in
- the Netherlands not as a horizon, but as an observation post
- not as a vehicle for national pride, but rather a canon that evokes involvement
- not a mausoleum, but a living heritage
- a canon that is open rather than closed
- no lists, but windows
- modern technology not as a threat, but as an ally
- familiarisation with the canon as natural baggage
- not a final goal, but an inspiring foundation, to be laid in primary education
- to be installed first, in order to be able to put into perspective later
- not a new school subject, not a complete curriculum, not a new textbook
- chart – chest – website
- mastery is proven only in limitation
- choices, but no straitjacket
- with substantial attention for the teachers “who must bring alive”, and how they are trained
- give the subject back to the teacher – and give the teacher back to the subject
- not static, but dynamic
- not a lecture, but a discussion
- with invitations to the cultural world, market and society
- the canon as a cultural capital with invaluable yields
- daring to invest in general education and immaterial infrastructures
- a fund for the future
- the canon not as a problem, but as an opportunity
Read more: http://entoen.nu/canon/en
