Schools may close for a few days Inland

Schools are no longer charged for keeping their doors open or closing, but for continuing their education, education ministers Ingrid van Engelshoven and Arie Slob also announced. Sometimes this can also be done at home, or in another form. For example, the cabinet hopes to provide the schools with the space to weather the corona crisis for the time being.

Focus on exam students

“The corona crisis requires a different way of education and that is why the MBO Council has agreed in consultation with the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, sector councils and unions that education can also be organized in a different way,” the council writes in a statement.

The Council wants school buildings to remain open as much as possible and that MBOs focus as much as possible on exam students. In addition, MBO schools can offer online education.

Childcare

In addition, MBO students will be used to care for children whose parents work in vulnerable professions. The MBOs will inform students and staff in the near future how the agreements will be applied in practice.

On Thursday, the council announced that there was no reason to close the doors. “MBO students can go to school with peace of mind,” acting chairman of the MBO Council, Frank van Hout, told De Telegraaf. “But our decisions always put the health of our students and employees first.”

Hours of consultation

Education ministers Ingrid van Engelshoven and Arie Slob spent hours on Friday with school boards, unions and other representatives of education about the Cabinet’s measures to stop the corona virus. Ministers do not want to close primary and secondary schools for the time being, although there is an increasing vote in education to do so.

“If it really doesn’t work, you have to come up with an alternative for school education,” says Paul Rosenmöller on behalf of the school boards of secondary education. “Whether the school itself is closed is no longer the relevant question,” says Petra van Haren on behalf of the school leaders of primary and secondary education. If that is best, a school will close. But the most important thing is that students continue to receive education.

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