A primary school for Ukrainian children in Hoogeveen. Due to too few registrations and a lack of teaching staff, the municipality and school communities PricoH and Bijeen have temporarily halted the plans. A bad idea, say two volunteers from the distribution point for Ukrainians. That is why they take action themselves.
“We have a distribution point for clothing, where we regularly speak with Ukrainians. They think it is a pity that the school will not be there for the time being,” says Daniela Bolks, one of the initiators. “Then we came up with the idea of starting a primary school ourselves. We are busy with the preparations. The school is called the Bloemenkrans and we would prefer to open after the summer.”
PricoH and Bijen have decided to take care of the Ukrainian children themselves for now at their own schools for non-native speakers. Bolks thinks it is important that they sit together at one school, so that the lessons are in line with the education they receive in their home country. “There will come a time when these children will go back to Ukraine. Then it is nice that their education has not stopped.”
Because that’s what more Ukrainian parents fear. “We have received those signals,” continues Bolks. One of those parents is Yuliia Zolotukhina. She has been living in the Netherlands since April and taught English in her home country. “At the schools for non-native speakers, the focus is mainly on the Dutch language and I understand that well. But it is important that they take more subjects, for example English, literature and culture. And of course subjects that they also take at home. That helps enormously. in child development.”
(Text continues below the video)