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'The Dominicus is worth fighting for'

At the Dominicus College in Nijmegen, students with and without disabilities follow education together. It must close its doors by August 2024. The mr is challenging the decision with the Disputes Committee. “Do they see what they throw away?”

Tekst Daniëlla van 't Erve - redactie het Onderwijsblad - - 12 Minuten om te lezen

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Image: Angeliek de Jonge

A meter high paper statue of liberty stands proudly upright in the auditorium. It turns out to be a remnant of the evening before, where students from the Dominicus College in Nijmegen showed their most creative and musical side. “This evening is an example of inclusion: everyone participates”, says a teacher who does not want to be named. “But the fun of the students and the enthusiasm of the public hit me right in the face yesterday: why does this school have to close?”

It is the question that staff, parents and students continue to struggle with. 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.

This article is from the May Education Magazine. Do you want to stay informed of everything that is going on in education? Join the AOb and receive the Education magazine every month.

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“Our school is not special, but it is special,” says HAVO student Joris Berkers (19), who takes a two-hour taxi ride every day. Due to spastic cerebral palsy, he is in a wheelchair. He attended a regular primary school and a 'not so nice' year in secondary special education. “I had no challenge there, they were pampered and I can't stand that. I am handicapped, but not stupid. At the Monkshood I was given the opportunity to develop. I'm so afraid that other students won't get that chance anymore."

In order to absorb the decline in the total number of students in Nijmegen, the school umbrella organization @voCampus will close the doors of the 165-year-old Dominicus College in two years' time. There will also be no more room for the Monkshood. “It is clear that the board has a financial problem, but there is no good substantiation why our school should be sacrificed for this,” says Tom Hooft van Huysduynen, technical teaching assistant and member of the mr. “We are a financially healthy school and the number of Registrations were on the rise again. Last year we had more than 120 registrations, and that in times of corona."

Tom Hooft van Huysduynen is a technical teaching assistant and a member of the mr. “There is no good justification for why our school should be sacrificed.” (Image: Angeliek de Jonge)

The process towards this has been an unhappy one, to say the least. Last spring, the plan was leaked to merge Dominicus College with Kandinsky College (2023 students) as of August 1240. The night before it in daily newspaper the Gelderlander parents were informed in writing. That led to great panic. “It is terrible to hear such a message in this way”, says Manon Franssen, parent of two children at Dominicus.

“My son is in third grade, has a visual impairment and can now walk to school. Thanks to the safe environment and the efforts of teachers, he can follow regular education. He grew up here confidently. I am afraid that this will not work at a larger school that is much further away and where the students are not used to children with disabilities.”

Moving is capital destruction

Ten years ago, the Dominicus was modified for millions to make inclusive education possible. For example, automatic doors, rest areas and elevators have been introduced. “Moving is a destruction of capital,” says Joris, who is also a student in the mr. He points out the window at an adjacent building. In the past, the school sold land on which a residential facility was built for students of the Monnikskap. “In this way, children from all over the country can receive education here and it is questionable whether they will succeed at another location. I find it particularly painful that the board feels no responsibility for this. While we are filling the coffers of the board with the millions that our school has earned with that land. It's just not fair.”

Value

The news of the merger is the start of a battle in which the atmosphere is becoming increasingly grim. “We knew there were concerns about the number of students, but a merger came out of the blue,” says Mr-member Tom Hooft van Huysduynen. “We needed more information to make a good decision. Why did we have to move, why Kandinsky and why the rush? I've always had the feeling that the board thought: we'll arrange that merger. They misunderstood the Mr.

I always had the feeling that the board thought: we can arrange that merger

A strong force in the mr is Karima Coenders, who, in addition to being a parent, is also a lawyer and has fully committed herself to this case. “The Dominicus is worth fighting for,” said Coenders, who has a child in second. “I have a heart for education and a great sense of justice. In this process, students, staff and the value of the school are so completely ignored, you can't just let that pass you by, do you?"

Tension rises to such an extent that in June the rector refuses to talk to the parent and student sections of the mr. Parents and students filed a complaint with the complaints committee. They accuse the management team of mismanagement: intimidation, lying and deliberately withholding information.

splits

The employee's staff did not support the complaint. “As pmr, we were pressured by both board members that same day to openly distance ourselves,” says Tom Hooft van Huysduynen. “It felt very annoying. If we supported the complaint, it might get in our way. As a mr member you are in a split.”

You just came from corona and then such an oversimplified closure: what are you doing to children?

At the beginning of October, the decision about the merger had to be made, and the pressure towards mr was further increased, according to him. “What I found really shocking is that driver Han Elbers said: If you do not agree, we will close the school.”

Various sources confirm that Elbers has said this several times, but the board calls this quote 'pertinently false'. The fact is that the moment the mr of the Kandinsky College decides not to merge, the board announces that it will close the Dominicus College completely. That further tightens the relationship.

Estate agent

Unlike a merger, the dissolution of a school does not require the approval of the mr. The board and school management step on the accelerator. For example, they decide not to recruit any more students and the staff is given a 'broker' to discuss their further careers. Suddenly there is also a new use for the building: the Mondial College, which is located in an old building and is growing at the seams. 'This move will result in significant cost savings', the board writes on the website. The sale of the Mondial site could also generate millions for the board as building land.

Here comes the monkey out of the sleeve, say employees and parents with which the Education Magazine spoke. According to them, this indicates a hidden agenda in which the importance of a small-scale school with good inclusive education is less important. “Games have been played”, Michel Ruigrok expresses the feeling. He has enjoyed working as an economics teacher at the Dominicus for 33 years, of which the last ten years at the Monnikskap. “The Mondial's move to this building is a preconceived plan from which the board did not want to give way and then it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy. "

Michel Ruigrok has enjoyed working as an economics teacher at Dominicus College for 33 years, of which the last ten years at the Monnikskap. "Games have been played." (Image: Angeliek de Jonge)

When teachers are called to account because of statements in the press, the mr is full. In mid-October, a motion of no confidence against the school management will follow, which will make way for an interim management. Mr-member Hooft van Huysduynen: “The motion was not welcomed by everyone, we got a lot on our hands. The big problem is that we as mr are always framed: 'they slow things down and are obstructive', while the mt always got ahead of things and already announced the closure. It is logical that we subsequently received few new registrations.”

The council will not leave it at that and will submit the matter to the national education disputes committee. If this committee finds that the closing procedure has not been completed correctly, it can be reversed. Everyone involved wants to seize this opportunity.

Dream

Meanwhile, ongoing business continues and many parents are already looking for a new school. “My kids are really upset. You have just come out of corona and then such an oversimplified closure: what are you doing to them?", says Manon Franssen. “We will stay until the closure, but what if they will only be in the class with ten others? The board has no answer to anything and shows no empathy. I wonder if they see what they're throwing away."

Bastiaan Straten is in 4 havo and can, in principle, 'just' finish school. “But it does get empty in school. I myself have ADHD and I don't want to think about suddenly having to go to a bigger school. I like it here so much that I wanted to become a French teacher, but unfortunately that dream is cancelled."

Student Joris Berkers hopes that Minister Dennis Wiersma will show administrative courage. “We are not expensive students. We only want one thing: to lead a decent life and to be able to make a difference to society.” (Image: Angeliek de Jonge)

An uncertain time is also ahead for the staff. “It is difficult to be forced to say goodbye to a place where you enjoy yourself”, says the teacher at the beginning of this article. “The problem is also that if I go to work at another school in Nijmegen, I will continue to fall under the same board that I no longer trust. What does it take to restore that trust? New people."

The F

School umbrella organization @voCampus says it will guarantee the survival of the Monkshood and wants to house the department at Kandinsky College. “If they succeed in creating a perfect location, I can live with it,” says teacher Ruigrok, who will not be able to experience the move due to retirement. “But there are a number of uncertain factors. If the school is empty, this is not an ideal situation to guarantee inclusion. And the question is whether the staff can go along, so that the expertise is retained.”

In addition, there is a fear that the size of the school does not go well with students who tolerate few stimuli. Another uncertain factor is that the ministry has decided to stop the additional funding of 1,5 million euros. Because children on the Monnikskap come from all over the country, the money has to be obtained from various partnerships. In the debate on appropriate education, Minister Dennis Wiersma promised to visit the school at the end of March. Several MPs argue in favor of maintaining direct funding and thus the school.

Student Joris Berkers sincerely hopes that the minister will come. “Then he can see for himself how well it works here. I hope he shows administrative guts and lets go of the point of departure from the wallet. We are not expensive students. We are highly motivated students who only want one thing: to lead a decent life and to be able to make a difference to society. If he offers us that opportunity, it will ultimately benefit society as a whole much more.”

AOb: 'Dramatic example'

Education Foundation @voCampus arose last year from a merger between Scholengroep Rijk van Nijmegen (chairman Hans Schapenk) and Alliantie VO (chairman Han Elbers). According to them, this board merger should make it possible for the educational palette to remain as diverse as possible and for the time being that drastic measures for their fourteen schools would not be necessary. However, the ink had not yet dried when the merger between the Dominicus and Kandinsky was already underway.

“What a dramatic example of how not to do it”, sighs AObdirector Jelmer Evers. “The speed, decisiveness and poor communication caused enormous unrest, of which hundreds of students are now the victims. While a merger and certainly a closure must be prepared very carefully. There are examples, such as in the Achterhoek, where the board has taken years to ensure that this proceeds in harmony.”

It reminds Evers of the closure of Hoenderloo College in 2020, as a result of which 160 vulnerable young people had to find another place in a hurry. “There too, a choice was made on the basis of financial figures, while the board could have raised this with the government. Caring for these young people is a social problem.”

The reorganization is part of discussions between the board and the AOb† An employment guarantee within the foundation applies to the 120 employees. Staff members who have questions or would like support can contact: info@aob.nl

Response board @voCampus

In an extensive written response, the @voCampus board denies the picture outlined. Due to demographic shrinkage, the number of students has fallen by 2016 since 2500 and is expected to fall by another thousand in the coming years. According to the board, the finances are under so much pressure that there is only room for two instead of three schools in Nijmegen Southwest (where the Dominicus is located). 'There is no question of intimidation, lying and deliberate withholding of information. There was no predetermined plan and the financial situation of the school is not healthy. Independent survival requires major investments, is at the expense of the current (small-scale) education on offer, the quality and causes problems at other schools. The core is a difference in perspective. The MR only looks at the school, the Executive Board (also) looks at the interests of the entire foundation.' The whole reaction here to read.

Also read: Minister wants to speed up appropriate education

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