The more than 200 Afghan children in the emergency shelter Heumensoord will receive education at schools in the area from 18 October. Between 90 and 120 children go to primary school, 112 children to secondary education, write the municipalities of Nijmegen and Heumen.
Empty classrooms are used and education is mainly provided by retired teachers. The municipalities write that the children can generally speak English.
Children who stay in emergency reception centers are generally not offered an education, but this is the case in asylum seekers’ centres.
According to the municipalities, there has been intensive cooperation with school boards in recent weeks to make education possible. “The search for teachers, classrooms and finances was a puzzle that was put together and resulted in education for children.”
The children are transported by bus to the schools in Nijmegen.
‘All basic knowledge is a plus’
The emergency shelter Heumensoord is expected to close again on 1 January 2022. The school boards and the municipalities nevertheless find it worthwhile to offer the children education until then.
“All the basic knowledge they acquire is included. Every day that a child does not receive education is one day too many,” says Hans Schapenk of the School Group Rijk van Nijmegen to ANP news agency.
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