The More Room for New Schools Act makes it more difficult for municipalities to keep new schools and attaches less importance to the question of whether there is already enough educational provision in a city district. In particular, the question whether enough statements of support have been collected from interested parents is decisive.

This can lead to ‘more one-sided student population’ and therefore more segregation, writes Moorman in a short outgoing education minister A Slob. The small schools can also grow, which puts extra demands on already scarce teachers. Meanwhile, the question of which small schools are viable in the long run, says Moorman.

Years of political discussion

The new law was passed last year following political discussions about Article 23 of the constitution, which provides freedom of education and the basis for special education. The new rules are now being applied in practice for the first time.

This week it turned out that five of the confirmed statements of support for Amsterdam collected enough. For a new secondary school, there are more than six hundred declarations of support. The plans are now being finalized by the Education Inspectorate.

Two out of five Amsterdam linked secondary Islamic education. The city council has drawn up plans, which are plans and are drawn up by the inspectorate.

Plan for Islamic mavo

According to insiders, the municipality fears that the plan for an Islamic mavo in Amsterdam South will strengthen the segregation (distance between population groups) in the city. Existing schools can have a one-sided composition. The mavo mainly ‘target group learning at home are at risk of educational disadvantage, for example because the parents have had little schooling or because Dutch is not spoken at home. The city council is striving for schools with students from different backgrounds.

Islamic primary schools in Amsterdam have long been hoping for a larger supply of Islamic secondary schools, which now only houses the Cornelius Haga Lyceum. The college also favors but is apprehensive of segregation.

El Amien Schools

It would be more positive towards a new Islamic lyceum in Nieuw-West for mavo, havo and vwo. In contrast to the mavo, students at such a lyceum can progress to a higher level.

The application comes from the board of the El Amien primary schools. That does not affect the procedure to be able to respond substantively. registration for the Islamic North Holland Foundation (S), the initiator of the Islamic mavo.

The Education Inspectorate according to the five plans is now in more detail. For example, it will be checked whether the administrators and supervisors have proof of good behavior and the initiators have not led a school in the past five years that has been closed due to very poor quality. Forecasts and substantive plans are also planned for the students. Next spring, the ministry will announce which schools can start on August 1, 2023.