untitled (2024)

De Uitpluizers is a collective of adults and children. We have questions, questions, questions, as a response to what we see and hear in our everyday lives. We resist the tendency to answer our questions, we resist the idea that all questions have an answer, we resist the idea of neutral education. Instead, we ask our questions where they come from, why they come with these words, and why now.

R: “Did you also get an advice when you were in your final year of elementary school?”*
J: “Yes, we did. I remember very clearly how stressed I was.”
R: “What was your advice?”
J: “Hmm.. Why do you think you ask this question?”
R: “Just curious”
J: “I understand. I would have asked the same if I were you. But could there also be a part of you that wants to compare yourself with me?”
A sneaky smile appears on his face.
J: “Does this advice make you worried?”
R: “I have heard stories about vmbo schools**. About the violence. The boys in the neighbourhood talk about it allthe time. I think I am scared.”
A: “I think I am scared too.”
L, who has listened to the conversation, quietly grabs a pen and paper, and writes down:
Why do we need levels [in school] in order to get a good job?

*In the final year of elementary school (at an age of 12), children in the Netherlands get an advice for their high school level. It is the teacher who gives this advice, based on classroom experiences, school performance, and extensive, uniform testing.
** high school for vocational education