Almost half of Dutch schools, more than 4600 primary and secondary schools, need to be renovated or newly built. That’s according to new figures from Bouwend Nederland, the largest association of construction companies. The PO Council also assumes that 50 percent of school buildings are old.
With mold, dampness, drafts and insufficient fresh air, these buildings no longer meet current ventilation, sustainability and health requirements. “These unhealthy schools are at the expense of the health of teachers and students,” says Ruben Heezen of Bouwend Nederland. “It also has a real impact on learning performance.”
“Very little investment for decades”
Schools are responsible for maintaining their buildings and municipalities have to pay for renovations or new construction. In practice, this often goes wrong and – according to new figures – 50 percent of 9,300 schools expect a better building.
“Schools and municipalities both have very little money,” said Freddy Weima, president of the PO Council, the organization that campaigns for primary education. Then there are arguments because there is not enough money,” he says. “There has been very little investment in decades.”
Bouwend Nederland recently overhauled a manifesto that included more than 20 organizations including the VNG, PO and VO Council, as well as a number of unions, calling for the cabinet to urgently invest 730m euros and a common plan for all installations schools. According to the PO Council, the fourth Rutte cabinet set aside a lot of money for education. “But they completely forgot about the buildings. That should be a much higher priority now.”
No extra money
According to NOS sources, at the moment the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science does not seem to want to allocate additional funds. On December 1, the House of Representatives will discuss education housing with Wiersma, Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, and then it will be seen if there are other solutions.
Source: NOS
John Cameron is a journalist at The Nation View specializing in world news and current events, particularly in international politics and diplomacy. With expertise in international relations, he covers a range of topics including conflicts, politics and economic trends.
