Student shortage leads to school closure in Ferwerd
The Ferwerd location of the Frisian Dockinga College will close at the end of this school year. “A painful decision,” says Geert van Lonkhuyzen of the school foundation on a daily basis. The closure is necessary because of the student shortage. Van Lonkhuyzen does not expect forced redundancies.
Image: Dockinga College website
Eighteen students had registered with the school for VMBO, HAVO and VWO in Ferwerd for the coming school year 2019-2020. “If we had continued, we would have had 99 students in the entire school,” says Van Lonkhuyzen. "We cannot guarantee the quality of education."
Shrinkage
The school location has to do with a decline in the number of pupils and pupils who choose other schools in the area. Van Lonkhuyzen: “Public transport from Ferwerd to Leeuwarden is good. Parents choose the big city anyway because it provides security. ”
The closure of the school location means extra travel time for many students. According to the daily driver, fifty students stay 'on board' at the Dockinga College and move to the location in Dokkum 13 kilometers away. The other students will go to school in Leeuwarden or Sint Annaparochie.
The village experiences many many moments of loss. This is another such moment
AObdistrict manager Marja de Bree closed early this year For the entire school board, a mobility plan is already in place that voluntarily refers employees to other work or grants them part-time dismissal. In November 2018 pale that the workforce had to be cut due to a budget deficit. “These schemes have been put to good use,” says Van Lonkhuyzen.
Duty of care
The district manager will soon visit the school board again to talk about the future of the employees at Ferwert. “I don't expect any redundancies,” she says. "All employees have a board appointment." Van Lonkhuyzen confirms this. “We have about sixteen employees working on site. We have a duty of care for that. Moreover, more than fifty pupils remain within our school group, so we need teachers and support staff for that. "
The closure of the school location means that approximately six employees within the Dockinga College have to look for other work. The school is committed to guiding employees to other work on a voluntary basis. The school board also wants to see whether teachers can retrain to a field that is more in demand. “I am confident that it will work on a voluntary basis. It just doesn't lessen the pain and sorrow in the village. They go through many moments of loss. This is another such moment. ”
