ANP
NOS Nieuws•woensdag, 18:58
Ascension Day, Whit Monday, Christmas: all schools in the Netherlands are closed on these holidays. But among Muslim young people, very different days are important. Like today, Eid al-Fitr, the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. And that is not an official day off.
Islam is the most popular religion among students in the Netherlands. Of young people between the ages of 15 and 18, 15 percent are Muslim, according to the latest figures CBS. There are relatively many Muslim young people in schools in the big cities in particular.
That is why the Zaam school umbrella organization has decided to keep all their 23 secondary schools, mainly in Amsterdam and Zaandam, closed today this year. “In Amsterdam we have quite a lot of Muslim students in our schools. We listened to these students and their parents who asked for a day off to celebrate Eid al-Fitr,” says director Jeanneke van Meulebrouck van Zaam.
17-year-old student Haifae is happy with this. “It is a very nice gesture that Muslims are automatically given time off and have the opportunity to celebrate at home with friends and family.”
Wrong day off
Schools may give students time off on holidays other than official days. This applies to all students at a school, not just the group that celebrates a certain party. Schools must announce which days these are before the new school year.
That makes giving time off for Eid al-Fitr difficult. The exact date of this festival is only known shortly in advance and is determined, among other things, by the phase of the moon. “That made it exciting. We asked advice from Islamic colleagues, who said that there was a good chance that it would be April 10. But it could also have been yesterday. Then everyone would have today off and students would still have to apply for leave.” says Van Meulebrouck.
The Zaam school umbrella organization is the exception. Few schools choose to close on Eid al-Fitr, according to a tour by NOS Stories. However, at many schools students can be given time off because of their religion. Parents must indicate this in advance. Although some students tell NOS Stories that not all schools accept this. That’s why they called in sick.
Islamic holidays are also not always taken into account at secondary vocational education, higher professional education and university. Last year, the umbrella organization of Muslim student associations and the research platform Moslimpeil asked about the experiences of 1,400 students with an Islamic background. They indicated that almost all educational institutions in the schedule do not respond to Eid al-Fitr, for example.
Geography teacher Hidde Nuijten, known online as Meester Hidde, teaches at a school in Amsterdam Nieuw-West, which has many Muslim students. His school is open as usual. “But I only had one student in class this morning. The rest all asked for time off.”
This happens on a smaller scale at schools in North Brabant, because there are fewer Muslim students, says English teacher Haitam Khalil. However, it is accepted if young people do not come because of the party. “But it is to the detriment of that student. Because it is test week. So if they miss a test, it has to be made up at another time,” says Khalil.
According to him, many Muslim students still come to school to take their tests. But he would prefer to see this arranged differently next year. “I also hear that from students. They don’t think everything should be changed and everyone should be free, but that there could be more thought about it.”
Good Friday or Keti Koti
Such as not planning a test week during Eid. “Or make sure that a catch-up day has been planned in advance on which they can still take their test,” says Khalil. He advocates one policy from the government, so that it does not differ per school. “And that it is not up to Muslim students or teachers themselves to have to arrange this.”
It is not yet known whether the students of the Zaam school umbrella organization will be free again for Eid Al-Fitr next year. Van Meulebrouck: “Every year we work with students, parents and teachers to decide which festival we want to celebrate together. This year we are choosing Eid al-Fitr, but next year it may well be Good Friday or Keti Koti.”