On Cross-Cultural Education in the Netherlands.

Overview & Synopsis

Education for foreign migrant children in the Netherlands from 1960 to 1976 is discussed. Two aspects of the background and development of migrant education are stressed: governmental organization and education in practice. Discussed are the government's responsibility for investigating problems of cross-cultural education; inspecting educational facilities; and facilitating communication among the Department of Education and Science, the field of education, and the embassies of the migrants' home countries. Typical migrant children attend Dutch schools which provide language training by special resource teachers, bilingual and bicultural classes, and cooperative teaching by Dutch and migrant teachers. The importance of the governmental, semigovernmental, municipal, and private educational and welfare services for integration of migrant families into Dutch society is stressed. An experimental teacher education course for teachers of migrant children in primary and kindergarten grades is described. Tables indicate the number of foreigners in the Netherlands and the number of migrant children from the Mediterranean area enrolled in primary schools from 1972 through 1975. References are listed. (Author/DB)