Hoogeveen has restarted talks to establish a Ukrainian primary school. It should have been there before the summer, but due to too few registrations and a lack of teaching staff, it didn’t happen.
After the summer, the municipality will have about forty Ukrainian children. That is enough to start a school, alderman for education Mark Tuit said during the council meeting. He made this known in response to a number of questions that Hetty Pullen asked on behalf of the ChristenUnie about the matter.
A meeting is therefore planned for next Wednesday between the municipality, the school boards and other parties involved. “We want to come to a solution together that offers peace to the children,” says Tuit.
In April, the plan came out to open a school in the former vaccination site on Vos van Steenwijklaan. That did not work out and that is why the school boards involved of PricoH and Bijeen decided to receive the children at their own locations.
The former vaccination site has now become a shelter for Ukrainian refugees. But the aspirations to open a school there have not disappeared. According to Tuit, it remains the most suitable location, because a lot of furnishing has already been done. There are currently no alternative locations in the picture.
Harrie van der Meer of GroenLinks wondered what the need is to set up a separate school for Ukrainians. “Isn’t it more sensible to house them in existing schools?” According to the alderman, the need is certainly there, mainly because the PricoH and Bijeen locations are full.
“They can’t make it anymore,” he explains. It is currently unclear whether the site will eventually be used. However, he could say that more than forty children can be taught on the spot. “It can easily be a place for 120 students. If it is properly furnished, perhaps even 140.”
Stichting Herderskinderen is also involved in the consultation, an initiative of Daniela Bolks and Janny Kleine from Hoogeveen. They are volunteers at the distribution point for Ukrainians in the municipality. When they were told that the plans for the school were temporarily on hold, they came up with the idea of starting their own school.
Many school supplies have been smashed and they are now eager to start something. That is why they hope for a good cooperation. It should become apparent next Wednesday whether the talks between all parties have paid off.