In a normal situation, children who arrive at the COA registration center in Ter Apel go to school within two weeks. Schools are also associated with all asylum seekers’ centers. In the Heumensoord shelter, children went to school after six weeks, in Zeist after three months. Of the 16 locations where children stay, children now attend school at four locations. But by moving from one emergency shelter to another, as is happening now, the period that children are out of school is getting longer.
Solutions
Refugee Work proposes to ask municipalities to arrange specific emergency care for children in the short term, with sufficient rest and safety, where they can go to school quickly, with the opportunity to cook for themselves and which will remain open for at least six months.
In addition, provinces and municipalities must realize 13,000 structural reception places in the coming six months. These must be small locations, especially in areas where there are currently no reception areas. The COA also announced last week that it needed 12,000 extra reception places in asylum seekers’ centers for next year.
According to Vluchtelingenwerk, more work can be done to eliminate the backlog in housing for recognized asylum seekers, so-called status holders. Municipalities can already offer temporary shelter for family members of recognized asylum seekers, pending permanent housing in that municipality. Many asylum seekers already have family in the Netherlands. Just like status holders, give them the opportunity to stay with family and friends, argues Vluchtelingenwerk.
NOS op 3 explains in detail in this video why the asylum system has stalled:
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