Französischsprachige Kinder mit schwachen niederländischen Fähigkeiten werden in getrennte Klassen gesendet

Yes RTBF, it is good that people that have issues with the language of the school, get specific classes to ensure they can catch up on that language.

Okan class!

While I am generally not really a fan of the N-VA, I have to say, this measure definitely addresses a longstanding issue.

Here in Brussels, the K0 kids on 1 september have never have heard Dutch before. In fact, last year at the basisschool where I worked, the two juffen were *explicitly* granted permission to speak French with the kids since otherwise there’d be a giant language barrier that no three-year-old would be able to cross.

When you don’t get language support at home (as many simply… don’t), you’re starting school with a language deficit of about 2 years.

It’s also extremely telling that the various scholengroeps don’t outright condemn the measure – they talk more about practical problems, where to put these taalzwakke kinderen.

Parents need to understand the implications – financial as well as linguistic – of putting a French-speaking kid in a Dutch-speaking school. This – as well as the obligations the parents have – needs to be explicitly made clear, in *their* language. Add a damn contract too.

If the Dutch doesn’t improve, I’d honestly argue that it’s more harmful to keep the kid there anyway. Transfer the kid to a French-speaking school where there’s no barrier. Parents will quickly get the message.