Fifty organizations want Dutch government reopen schools

50 organizations, led by UNICEF, appealed to the government to find a different solution other than keeping school pupils at home during the pandemic. Their goal is to create “a collective fist against the enormous development risk for children and young people.”

Other members of the collective include the Trimbos-institute, mental health service GGZ, and Jantje Beton - an organization dedicated to creating more opportunity and room for children to play

“The most vulnerable children struggle the most. It is crucial that schools reopen and an alternative is found as soon as possible. Closing schools should only be the very last option,” Suzanne Laszlo, director of UNICEF in the Netherlands, said in a statement on their website.

The organizations do not believe that school closings are a necessary evil to withstand the crisis. According to them, the number of at-risk children is growing by the day, because their needs and interests are ignored in the corona policy. “The question should not be if, but how schools are going to reopen.”

The collective believes pupils could soon step back into classrooms if the government invests time in finding the right precautions to ensure a safe school environment.

Dutch schools have been closed since December 15. The government is hoping to open primary schools on January 25. Higher grades will have to wait until at least February 7 to attend class again.