Dutch schools must make space for languages spoken at home

Dutch primary schools are now required to accommodate the home languages spoken by pupils, such as Turkish, Polish, and Arabic. This change is part of updated national curriculum standards, which came into effect in August. The standards aim to encourage teachers to allow students to use their mother tongue to assist with class preparation or better understand material, if it proves beneficial.

The new rules were highlighted by current affairs programme Nieuwsuur on Friday. Approximately a quarter of individuals aged 15 and older mainly speak a language other than standard Dutch at home, including dialects, regional languages, or languages like English, Turkish, or Polish, according to the national statistics office, CBS.

Schools have the flexibility to implement these new standards as they see fit. While the new rules mandate attention to multilingualism and pupils' linguistic identity, the concrete aspect – permitting children to communicate complex topics in their native language or use it for lesson preparation – is presented as guidance rather than a mandatory rule.

Language expert Joanneke Prenger, who advises on primary education, suggested that parents should "speak the language you know best" with their children, a stance that contrasts with previous guidance to use Dutch at home. This change could provide learners with a stronger foundation for mastering Dutch and other languages.

However, not everyone supports this approach. Thomas Hendriks, a Dutch language teacher in an Amsterdam bridging class for pupils with language gaps, argued that the influx of new advice "feels like a whim or a trend," despite many young people still struggling to read and write proficiently. In his classroom, permitting students to switch languages could lead to misunderstandings as it disrupts the flow of communication.

This debate is set against a backdrop of growing concerns about basic Dutch skills, with the Netherlands once regarded as a proficient reader but now experiencing a significant decline in reading scores. The Dutch government is also contemplating stricter requirements for Dutch proficiency in the naturalization process and is drafting more robust rules for welfare claimants who lack sufficient Dutch language skills.