ANP
News from the NOS•
A severe shortage of teachers and an influx of newcomers is putting a lot of pressure on the education of kindergarten children in some large cities. This was stated, among others, by The Hague in a letter to the Minister of Education Dennis Wiersma.
In the letter, in the hands of the NOS, the councilor of The Hague Hilbert Bredemeijer calls for emergency measures. In addition to Ukrainian children, 25 to 30 children from other newcomers to his city are added every week. Hundreds of children of asylum seekers, status holders and migrants for work and knowledge are now on the waiting list.
“As it stands now, four classes are added per month in our city. Everyone can sense that this will end at some point with the current shortage of teachers,” says Bredemeijer.
Regulations and money
The municipality of The Hague asks Minister Wiersma to expand the temporary legislation, which allows Ukrainian children to receive an education, to cover all the children of newcomers. This temporary law allows students and other unauthorized persons to be placed in front of a class for up to two years.
Furthermore, there must be space for so-called “landing sites”, a precursor to education for newcomers, where unskilled teachers can work. As a third and final point, The Hague asks Minister Wiersma to cover all expenses.
An exception has already been made for children who have fled Ukraine and these schools are currently functioning very well
Amsterdam shares The Hague’s cry for help. In AD Education councilor Marjolein Moorman calls the situation heartbreaking. Moorman: “An exception has already been made for children who have fled Ukraine and these schools are currently functioning very well. We would like to expand this concept and make it accessible to the group of children who are now on the waiting list.”
“Good manageable”
Rotterdam councilor Said Kasmi understands the cry for help from his colleagues in Amsterdam and The Hague, but does not see a massive influx of kindergarten children into his city. “For the moment it is manageable for us, we also try to let as many children as possible enter a regular education immediately and have sufficient capacity,” Kasmi told the CEO.
