Minister guarantees the survival of Monkshood
De Monnikskap, the department for students with a disability, will be housed at Kandinsky College in Nijmegen. According to education minister Dennis Wiersma, the continued existence is guaranteed by concrete commitments from the board. In the meantime, the closure of the Dominicus College, where the department is now housed, is still with the Disputes Committee.
Statue John Arts
Minister Wiersma last night in a brief inform the House of Representatives that the board has made concrete commitments. For example, @voCampus will bear the costs of the construction at Kandinsky College, as will any losses if fewer students opt for the Monkshood.
All employees who work entirely at the Monnikskap will also be taken to the new location. The board also has this intention for staff who are partly associated with the department. The participation council of the Kandinsky College has also 'unanimously declared itself in favor of fully integrating the Monkshood'.
Unique concept
To compensate for the decline in the total number of students in Nijmegen, @voCampus decided last year to close the Dominicus College as of August 2024. There will also be no more room for the Monkshood. The concept is unique in the Netherlands: a relatively small-scale havo/vwo school (780 students) with a department for 80 students with a disability or chronic illness (the Monnikskap). There are extra facilities to ensure that they can follow regular education.
I have seen with my own eyes what it means for all students at Dominicus College to really go to school together
The proposed closure sparked panic and fierce protests. Several members of the House of Representatives expressed their concerns during the appropriate education committee debate at the end of March. With the letter, the minister is now responding to the Van Meenen motion and the request of the House of Representatives to guarantee the continued existence of the Monkshood.
Wiersma visited the Monkshood in May. 'I was able to see with my own eyes what it means for all students at Dominicus College to really go to school together, eat together in the auditorium and discover that everyone contributes to a free and inclusive school', writes. he in the letter.
Capital destruction
Name stakeholders in a earlier article in the Education Magazine the closing of the Dominicus College capital destruction. Ten years ago, the school was modified for millions to make inclusive education possible. The participation council of the Dominicus College is challenging the closure with the national education disputes committee.
“The whole process was careless and we just can't let this pass us by,” says Mr-member Tom Hooft van Huysduynen. “Of course we would like to keep the Monkshood here, but it seems that the board will arrange the transition well, I am happy about that. It is my top priority that children with and without disabilities receive a good education together.”
See also: Minister wants to speed up appropriate education en Students are the biggest losers of the Dominicus closure
