I have no comment, other than to note that the Dutch, like
nearly all of Europe, are very quick to be snooty about their superior
culture, especially when a Republican sits in the White House.
|
|
|
An infant school in Amsterdam east has Dutch and immigrant children
under one roof, but there is no sign of integration. Black and white
each have their own seperate door.
Two entrances to the school building in the harbour area of Amsterdam
east. Through one door you have Achmed, Mohammed, Samir, and Aziz,
through the other door thirty metres along you have Jan, Piet, Johan
and Nico.
It has naturally nothing to do with racism say all those involved.
Nobody is trying to shut out people of different ethnic origins from
the school. But nevertheless it does seem like segregation of the
Rietlanden (For blacks) and 8th Montessorischool (For whites).
The director of the Rietlanden school, Annemieke van der Groen, says
"We have been given a bad name for other reasons. You can invest so
much into quality, but white parents are difficult to convince". If
they come to look around the school, they often choose for a 'whiter'
school, and they say,"Hmm.. all the black heads..."
At a meeting over precisely this subject last week in the debate centre
'de Balie' in Amsterdam, D66 (Liberal Socialists) politician Ivar
Manuel said it is a good example of integration. "Dutch and immigrants
under one roof, that is precisely what we want?" Van der Groen
corrected him, "Both schools have nothing to do with eachother, we have
seperate entrances".
The Rietlande, a universal infant school is in one of the new
neighbourhoods in Amsterdam, of the 350 children that there is room
for, they barely have half that.
Mainly white parents from the neighbourhood avoid the infant school,
and choose en mass for the 750 student catholic Achthoek school.
|
|
