Saturday 27 November 2021

Primary schools bring in new coronavirus rules, parents kept out of classrooms

Primary schools bring in new coronavirus rules, parents kept out of classrooms

New rules to deal with the spread of coronavirus in families with primary school children come into effect from Wednesday, following recommendations by government health advisors. Almost one fifth of the new infections are in children aged five to 14, and one in four children who was tested for coronavirus in the past week was found to have the disease. Their parents are also increasingly testing positive. The changes are now being incorporated into school protocols. Parents are no longer... More >

VVD wants international student limits

VVD wants international student limits

The ruling VVD is asking the government to intervene so that universities can place limits on the number of international students, in particular those from outside the European Economic Area, the Financieele Dagblad reported on Thursday. The party’s education spokeswoman Hatte van der Woude said during a debate on the education ministry budget on Wednesday that the Netherlands was not prepared for the number of foreign students and that urgent action is needed. Education minister Ingrid van Engelshoven had been... More >

Law leads the way among new students

Law leads the way among new students

Law was the most popular bachelor’s degree course among first year students in the previous academic year but the popularity of sociology and social studies soared by 43%, according to an independent guide to higher education in the Netherlands. In total, 6,403 new students signed up to study law, a rise of 17% on the 2019-20 academic year, according to the authors of the Keuzegids Universiteiten. Meanwhile, the increase in the number of sociology students could be down to an... More >

Utrecht tackles segregation in schools

Utrecht tackles segregation in schools

Utrecht city council is taking steps to end segregation in primary schools by stopping parents from signing their children up to a given school as soon as they are born, the Volkskrant reported on Tuesday. Although schools officially stopped registering very young children as potential pupils in 2014, dozens still keep informal waiting lists and it is usually ‘white, well-educated parents’ who are benefiting, city officials say. Now the council has introduced a new central system to allocate primary school... More >

Unions agree pay rises for teachers

Unions agree pay rises for teachers

Teaching unions and employers have reached a pay deal for secondary school teachers, giving them a 1.8% rise, from October. In addition, all full time school staff will get a one-off bonus of €800 at the end of the year with a proportional payout for part timers. Despite the agreement, the biggest teaching union AOb says more still needs to be done to reduce the pressure on teachers, and that means the government will have to come up with more... More >

Schools are cancelling trips abroad

Schools are cancelling trips abroad

School boards are cancelling trips abroad because not all students have been vaccinated but emotions are running high among parents and students, the Telegraaf reported on Wednesday. ‘It’s a growing problem,’ Marjet Winsemius, director of parents’ organisation Werkende Ouders told the paper. ‘Schools are now trying to organise trips again but the coronavirus passport has become a hurdle. In principle, schools are not allowed to ask students for a QR code so… they are cancelling the visits.’ Secondary schools council... More >

Universities get tough on threats to staff

Universities get tough on threats to staff

Academics are facing an increasing number of threats and messages of hate, prompting Dutch universities to take action, university association VSNU said on Monday. In particular, universities are introducing a ‘zero tolerance policy’ which means threats, physical and sexual abuse and stalking will be reported to the police, the VSNU said. Universities are also developing training course and offering psychological support to the victims of threats and have set up a website WetenschapVeilig to exchange information with police and the... More >

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