Government subsidies for immigrant students

Education Minister Ronald Plasterk is allocating specific subsidies to improve the school performance of non-western immigrants.

“In the past 10 years, the number of non-western immigrant students has risen strongly. Substantial growth is particularly evident in HBO (colleges). Despite this positive development, the course success of immigrant students still appears to be lower than that of indigenous students,” according to the minister.

Plasterk referred to the fact that among immigrant HBO students, the premature dropout rate is 20 percent higher than among other HBO students. He is making several tens of millions of euros available for reducing early dropouts among students of Turkish, Moroccan and Surinam origin. What precisely the money will be spent on remains unknown though.

The money will go to five HBO colleges (Haagse Hogeschool, Hogeschool Inholland, Hogeschool Utrecht, Hogeschool van Amsterdam and Hogeschool Rotterdam). In 2008, they will receive 4 million euros, rising annually to 17 million euros in 2011, according to the minister, who did not specify the total sum.

Source: NIS News, 28 May 2008