Black or white schools?

Read in today’s Radio Netherlands press review:

An ongoing discussion in the papers makes its way into the Protestant daily, Trouw, which reports that there’s a foundation in the Netherlands whose sole purpose is to encourage white children to go to black schools. The Dutch minister for education, Maria van der Hoeven, says “Although there are enough black schools that have excellent results, mixed schools contribute to integration.”

Another feature article in the same paper interviews a Dutch woman who has decided to send her white children to a black school. “Until six months ago I had no idea that you weren’t supposed to say that there are black and white schools (in the Netherlands),” she says.

“I chose for a black school because I think its important that our children grow up together. My son doesn’t see what I see. Luckily, he’s naive,” she goes on to say. “An atmosphere has arisen that dictates that we should be scared of each other. That has to change.”

Source: Netherlands press review, Radio Netherlands, 16 October 2006