Too many kids excluded from school activities over voluntary parent contribution, Minister says

Minister Arie Slob for Primary and Secondary Education finds it unacceptable that children are sometimes excluded from school activities because their parents could not pay a voluntary parental contribution. He wants to make agreements with school organizations to prevent this from happening, NOS reports.

According to the Minister, it sometimes happens that "children are the only ones put in a different class or have to sit and do their homework, while the rest of the pupils are in an amusement park". He will make agreements with the PO-raad and VO-raad, organizations for primary and secondary education, for the coming school year that will prevent "that children will fall outside the boat in the future".

If these agreements prove ineffective, he will work on tightening the law.

Schools, teachers and sector organizations all agree that it is not good to exclude children, Slob said. "At the same time, there are still too many incidents."