There is no place at secondary school for at least two thousand children who do not speak Dutch. That reports Lowan, a foundation for education for newcomers in the Netherlands, based on a survey among schools on Friday. These are so-called International Bridging Classes, where asylum seekers, for example, receive education.
There are a total of 111 bridging classes with an estimated 30,000 students, more than double compared to a year earlier. The war in Ukraine is one of the reasons for the large influx. At least thirteen schools no longer admit students at all, ten others are considering doing the same. “A very worrying picture,” writes the education organization. “In view of the expected growth in the number of refugees, we are even more concerned.”
It is not known whether young asylum seekers in emergency shelters are in the picture at the schools. Because of all the relocations, it is “almost impossible for the international classes to provide education,” says Lowan. The organization already asked for attention to the shortage last year, but “the situation has only worsened”.