Leading the Charge: Karin Verheijen's Fight Against Literacy Decline

Revitalizing Dutch Education with Innovative Learning Techniques developed by L. Ron Hubbard

In a captivating chapter of Scientology Network’s VOICES FOR HUMANITY series, viewers meet Karin Verheijen, a forward-thinking educator who is making waves in the Netherlands with her groundbreaking methods for promoting literacy. The show airs every Wednesday at 8 pm ET / PT. 

In the past, the Netherlands has been known for having plenty of people who can read and write well. Lately, there has been a worrying drop in those numbers, with about 2.5 million Dutch people now struggling with reading and writing skills.

Findings from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2022 report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) revealed ongoing challenges in literacy across Europe. The report indicated that approximately 23% of 15-year-old students in OECD countries did not reach the baseline level of proficiency in reading. Within the European Union, the percentage of low achievers in reading has remained relatively stable, highlighting persistent issues in literacy education (OECD, 2022). These statistics emphasize the importance of innovative educational strategies and literacy programs, such as those implemented by educators like Karin Verheijen in the Netherlands, to address and improve reading comprehension and literacy rates across the continent.

Karine Verheijden is not one who back down from a challenge. She grew up on a farm, in the south of Holland, where she was taught to just memorize things without really understanding them, something she was determined to change. 

Motivated by her desire to make a difference in the lives of others,​ Verheijen started off by choosing a nursing career​. However, it wasn't until she saw how effective Study Technology​ —created by Scientology Founder L Ron Hubbard​—was for her daughters, that she decided to switch gears and pursue teaching instead​. Seeing the progress her daughters made academically using Study Technology made her recognize the opportunity it presented to combat the declining literacy rates in her country​. 

Starting as a tutoring project in her flat and expanding into a network of educational centres across the Netherlands is the journey that Verheijen embarked on with Karin Bijles Centrum. Being both the Founder and Operational Director of this initiative has enabled her to support than 2600 students and attain a prestigious top percentile ranking nationally for her centers. Her efforts not only focus on empowering individuals through education but also aim to enhance literacy levels, in the country. 

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