No investigation into Avatar in Dutch schools
The Education Inspectorate is not investigating the Avatar ideology in Dutch schools, because it has not yet received any reports regarding the ideology. Only if reports are received will the Inspectorate investigate whether Avatar poses a threat to the three main elements Dutch schools must guarantee, the Telegraaf reports.
The three elements all Dutch schools must guarantee are quality of education, good citizenship including respect for those who think differently, and safety. Schools are allowed to teach from an ideology, as long as it does not threaten those elements.
This week NRC and television program De Monitor reported that the Avatar ideology is "infiltrating" Dutch education. According to them, six so-called democratic schools, including Life! in Landsmeer and the Guus Kieft School in Amstelveen, are led by Avatar wizards and masters and use the ideals of Avatar.
Avatar is described as a series of self development courses that identify and remove limiting beliefs so that students can live their lives more effectively. Avatar masters and wizards teach the ideology.
The Avatar ideology uses some of the same terms and beliefs as the Church of Scientology and there have been trademark infringement lawsuits between the two ideologies in the past.
According to Het Parool, so-called democratic schools are private schools that often teach pupils who had trouble in public schools.
