February 15 2011
Following an announcement by Education Minister Marja van Bijsterveldt that Amsterdam’s only Islamic secondary school will be closing due to too few pupils, the city’s orthodox Muslims are searching for other schooling options. Many are reluctant to send their children through the mainstream education system, as they feel these schools can restrict their children or make them feel unwelcome. Increasingly parents are embracing home schooling as an option for providing religious education, though the city’s Executive Councilor for Education thinks the plan is a bad idea.
