In the Netherlands there is a law known as "De Leerplichtwet", this law states that "All students aged 5 to 16 years are obliged to attend school and get a proper diploma. If the student fails to doing so it needs to continue it's education till the age of 18 years." This implies that also refugee children need to attend school in The Netherlands. For primary eduction there is generally a school located in the refugee camp they are currently staying in. If there is no school in the refugee camp they attend a local school near the refugee camp.
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Basisschool (Primary Education)
Children in the Netherlands start attending primary school from the age of 5. If you have just entered the Netherlands you first go to the "Internationale Schakelklas". This is mentioned in Article 40, Paragraph 1 of the Law on Primary Education. At the "Internationale Schakelklas" you learn the basics of Dutch and about the life in Netherlands. After this the child goes to a regular primary school, this is generally located in the refugee camp but sometimes also outside of the refugee camp. The COA (Centraal Orgaan Opvang Asielzoekers) signs the child up in the correct primary school. If your school is located outside of the Refugee Camp the COA pays for the transportation.
The Primary Schools in the Netherlands are free of cost. Besides that the COA also gives the parent of the child 38 euro's yearly as financial aid for school materials such as books, pens, pencils etc. In september 2016 the Refugee Camp in Ter Apel opened it's first primary school. The school has 11 classrooms which can acomodate 150 students, it also has a separate gym used for Physical Education. On the right you can see a picture of the opening of the primary school in Ter Apel. |
Middelbare School (Secondary Education)
The secondary school in the Netherlands is free of cost just like the Primary Education. For the secondary education all the children are supposed to apply for themselves however the COA can help you with this procedure. In the Netherlands the secondary schools have different levels of education depending on the student's learning capabilities. The main stages are "Praktijk onderwijs" this is when you have difficulties with learning, "VMBO" this is when you want to learn for a specific job, "HAVO" the second highest level and finally we have "VWO which is the highest level.
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Post Secondary School - (MBO, Hogeschool & Universiteit)
There are many refugees that have already graduated and studied in their home country however many of these diplomas are unrecognised in The Netherlands and therefore they have to do their studies over again. Like mentioned before many refugees struggle with the Dutch language and need guidance in applying for their studies and finding a job. The UAF is a company that helps refugee's to get into university and find a suitable job. They guide the student in each and every step of their career until they find a proper Job.
Bibliography
- "Veelgestelde Vragen." Stichting Voor Vluchteling-Studenten UAF. Minesterie Van Onderwijs, n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2016.
- "Opleiding En Werk Voor Vluchtelingen." Gave.nl. Gave, n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2016.
- Schaaf, Lily Vinken. "Onderwijs." Tell-me.nl. Tell Me!, n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2016.
- "Opening Interschool Ter Apel." Opening Interschool Ter Apel. Centraal Orgaan Opvang Asielzoekers, 23 Sept. 2016. Web. 29 Nov. 2016.