NRC Handelsblad has run a feature article exploring why Dutch-Egyptian parents are sending their children to school in Egypt. Three hundred children from Amsterdam were sent to schools in Egypt last year- twice as many as to Morocco. Education minister Sharon Dijkstra is concerned by the trend, which is “undesirable” because it presents an obstacle to integration if the children return to the Netherlands later in life, according to the minister.
Parents interviewed by NRC Handelsblad say that they educate their children in Egypt because they prefer the education system, find it more economically feasible, and feel that it offers their children more opportunities. They also note the hostile environment and “the freedom and rights granted to children in the Netherlands” as factors influencing their decision.
