SGB025: Introduction to Peace and Conflict Studies

Transcription

1 SGB025: Introduction to Peace and Conflict Studies Successful integration through mixed school education system Hendrik-Jan Postma Dr. F. P. Mayr Castellon, February 28 1

2 ABSTRACT Successful integration trough mixed school educational system This paper facilitates a solution for the problems relating to integration in the Netherlands, by investigating current policies, social sentiment, and educational statistics. The population investigated in this research is native Dutch people, Children of Immigrants and parents of the children (Turkish and Moroccan). The data included in this paper come from the Dutch Statistics Bureau (CBS). Furthermore, the theories applied to examine the issue are presented but not limited to, John Paul Lederach, and Erich Fromm. The model applied to provide a structured framework to change the system is based upon the Theory of change and log-frames. In order to create a framework for change, the problems and the underlying cause(s) have to be examined first. After presenting the problems and key data the framework will facilitate a solution to problems relating to integration based upon an educational perspective. In the report references are made to White schools and Black schools these are the definitions given by the Dutch government to schools where more than 60% of the students are homogeneous. Keywords: Mixed schools, integration, white schools, black schools, Native Dutch people, and Dutch children of immigrants. 2

3 Introduction The Dutch school system has always been marked by segregation, either by religion or ethnicity. The educational system is financed by the central government. The Dutch educational system is a decentralized system, this means local government decides and is allowed to initiate programs, as they deem fit to their particular region (OECD, Education at Glance The Netherlands, 2013), however this is limited to pilot programs. The problems relating to segregation in education is directed by the central government. The complexity of the current problem regarding integration through education should be defined by three different indicators; Educational statistics, Parental choice, and housing & social integration (Walraven, 2013). Each of the above mentioned indicators will be examined and sub-divided into sections to identify the cause. Educational statistics In 2008 several projects were setup to experiment with interventions to prevent and combat segregation (Guuske Ledoux C. F., 2013). The statistics of this experiment are unfortunately not complete, nevertheless preliminary result show an increase in the school results of students from mixed schools, meaning the overall educational results are stabilizing for both native Dutch children and children born of immigrants (M. Brink, 2012). The researchers report claims this is logical due to integration of ethnicities in one school, whereas in the past Dutch children of immigrants scored significantly lower and native Dutch children higher. Consequently, the results on White schools are higher than on mixed schools, Black schools also increase the score but remain under the average, mostly due to language deficiency (Sociaal en Cultureel plan bureau, 2005). Dutch researchers and politicians are not in agreement whether mixed schools are a 3

4 success. In my opinion it completely depends on how success is measured. On one hand a professor from the Maastricht University is convinced that homogenous schools are better for children, for more attention has to be given to children who lack behind (Bogaerdt, 2010). Obviously the professor aims at the Dutch children of immigrants who are the reason why results decrease on mixed schools. On the other hand a professor from Groningen University claims that mixed schools improve and support integration for both native Dutch children and Dutch children born of immigrants. The interaction between ethnicity, religion, and culture creates equal grounds and respect. Moreover mixed schools increase language efficiency of Dutch children of immigrants, especially if you consider most Dutch children of immigrants speak in the native language of their parents at home and in family settings (Stark, 2011). In my opinion both professors have a point, but address the topic from a different angle. On the short-term mixed schools decrease the quality of education, but increase integration from the start. However, on the longterm the quality of education increases and integration of society rises to a higher level. Integration of the population into a multicultural society in my opinion cannot be solved on a local level only. Integration of society is a national challenge and is therefore initially to be addressed on a national level to reach out to the local level, a structural approach ensures adequate policies and frameworks to delegate. As described above the approach on a national level just recently took place. However, the Dutch government is not interested in approaching integration from an educational perspective, stating that freedom of education and quality has priority (Bijsterveldt-vliegenthart, 2012). Even though school directors/administrators are convinced it is irrefutable to prepare the young population for integration into society, thus mixed education is the first step (Guuske 4

5 Ledoux C. F., 2011). The reality is that there have not been significant problems between Protestants and Catholics, because even though there is a religious difference, the overall culture is similar. However, with the increasing Muslim population and their culture in the Netherlands and the current educational system, more one-faith schools are facilitated. The result of this segregation in the educational system is the segregation in society. In my opinion the central government has a major role in facilitating structural and cultural change for the problem, by means of programs and incentives. However, the problems relating to integration are not limited to structural change. The willingness of the population plays a major role. 2 Parental choice & Willingness At a local level intervention to prevent and combat socio-ethnic should be facilitated by means of student application and acceptance protocols of schools. Furthermore, information and advice provision for parents and parental initiatives to promote mixed schools. However, before entering the field of solutions, the underlying willingness of parents and students to enter mixed-schools has to been investigated. The cultural, religious and ethnic background of parents plays a major role in the selection of the school for their children. In a country where 46% has no religious affiliation to any mainstream institute the problems surrounding one-faith schools becomes a tense problem, even considering the Christian population 45% and Muslim population of 4% (Statestiek, 2013). The majority is non-affiliate to a religion and perceives religion as an intrusion of society in a negative way. The Netherlands is well-known for liberal policies on abortion, euthanasia, and gay rights. The incorporation of Dutch Christians in the Dutch society where liberalism prevails has never been a serious issue. However, with 5

6 the increase of conservative influence from conservative Islam and conservative Christianity the majority non-religious or moderate Christians/Muslim feel threatened by those values, simply because they do not comply with liberalism and the values of the policies enacted. However, I believe the problem is more deeply rooted. The fact that birth-rate under Native Dutch people is very low, and under conservative Christians and Muslim high, means that although liberal policies and political points of views are shared by the majority for now, but the future shows increase in conservative values. This trend is widely known in industrialized countries. In the book Sacred and Secular quote (Pippa Noris, 2004): The public of virtually all advanced industrial societies have been moving toward more secular orientations during the past fifty years. Nevertheless, the world as a whole now has more people with traditional religious views than ever before and they constitute a growing proportion of the world s population in this quote the problem is perfectly outlined. The threat of conservative values is rising due to the increasing birth rate of religious parents. In my opinion as a non-affiliated religious person this increases desire to integrate schools into mixed schools to achieve a multicultural society, in which separate religions and cultures go hand in hand and join to together on common grounds and continue the debate on differences, instead of segregation. However, the segregation of culture and religion is not the only problem. The problem continues with the structural differences between cultures and religions, even though one-faith schools are allowed and funded by the government, policies concerning holidays, traditional rituals are not always allowed, especially when it concerns the Muslim community. The deep feeling of segregation and alienation of young Muslims from society is portrayed in opportunities which are not equal but show a 6

7 significant difference. In the Netherlands only Christian holidays are celebrated. Celebrations like Yum Kippur or Eid al-adha are religious celebrations but not institutionalized, with as main reason secularism. Hypocrisy in my opinion, if a nationstate declares secularism, then either no religious celebration is institutionalized or all major religious celebrations are institutionalized. The unemployment rate, crime rate and lack of participation in politics stigmatizes the society. For example the crime rate of Dutch children of immigrants is significantly higher reaching 200% on several subcategories (Statistieken, ). The job-opportunities and religious/ethnic discrimination in terms of career opportunities, certainly not solved by antidiscrimination laws when applying for a job, it is fanciful. However, the reality is that without proper integration of Dutch people and Dutch people of immigrants the psychological and cultural gap is not closed. The above mentioned issues are directly related to the equality for all social groups in society. Dutch people of immigrants mostly Muslim feel alienated by the above mentioned issues. In the Netherlands there is no political party with Islam or Turkish, Moroccan culture as core of the political interests. The political disorientation of young Muslim is therefore increasingly negative, both in participation and understanding of the system. Worse is the fact that right-wing Dutch politicians fuel the native Dutch population with indifference or rejection of Dutch people of immigrants. In recent years radicalism or extremism is increasingly popular amongst young Dutch people of immigrants (Bradford Kelley, 2006). Several incidence like the murder on Theo van Gogh and rise of Pim Fortuyn and nowadays Geert Wilders as right-wing politicians opened the debate to be strongly opposed to Islam, and thus the people affiliated to Islam. The media portrays these statements widely in public. This 7

8 approach leads to more polarization in society. Unfortunately, the integration of Dutch people of immigrants if further reduced. Without a welcoming feeling and structural support, willingness to integrate is reduced to zero for most people. The values and system brought by parents are not easily changeable or influenced. The parental role in bringing values and believes is a primary role of the family, however without any integration of parents of children of the immigrants the values and believes are restricted to those from their parent country, instead of those from the host country. Maintaining in the circle of comfort of Immigrant society never allows any change towards integration into the Dutch society. Naturally this is not a one-way exchange, native Dutch people also have to participate in this process. However, if the programs are presented then the first step has to come from the immigrants, including the children. In a survey results are presented on how native Dutch people perceive native born Dutch of immigrants and vice-versa. The results are staggering. Only 37% of non-native Dutch people feel that native Dutch people respect Islam and the culture. Similar are the figures of native Dutch people 33% who perceive non-natives as disrespectful towards Dutch Culture. The survey also included freedom of females and the understanding of homosexuality and abortion with similar results (Statistieken, Dichter bij elkaar?, 2012) With the media portraying western society as superior through technology and consumerism, the gap between eastern values and western values became increasingly extensive. Western consumerism is a state of continues obtaining the newest gadgets and accumulate capital to increase spending of the individual to the market. Erich Fromm theory on alienation fits the difference between western values and habits and the values and habits of eastern society. Erich Fromm quoted The fact that man does not experience 8

9 himself as the active hearer of his own powers and richness, but as an improvers thing, dependent on powers outside himself, unto whom he has projected his living substance (Fromm, 1955) This quote portrays how western civilization increasingly is dependent on the outside world through for example consumerism. Even though I am indifferent about the statement above mentioned, it sure represents how the system works at this moment for most people. Nonetheless, personally I fully agree with his statement that the faith in man is the primary condition to create a sane society. In the case of The Netherlands this would be a multicultural society, in case the population believes in the system and leaders, and are convinced of self-determination anything is possible. Basically, in order to achieve happiness, people must be made aware of what makes for sanity and what makes for insanity (Mattick, 1956). If both native Dutch people and children of immigrants included then the willingness would be far greater to reform. Maintaining the current comfort zone with, one-faith schools, separated neighborhoods, and community buildings this process would never see any progress. By understanding the underlying problems, in terms of willingness the three preventive measures can be described. Student application and admission protocols should be adjusted. Currently there are no fixed deadlines for application for children for primary and secondary education. Well-educated parents often plan education ahead, whereas less educated parents wait until the particular child reaches the age for primary school. Consequently, often children of Dutch immigrants do not get into the school they applied for, either white school, Black school or mixed school. By integrating a deadline system without any long-term planning ahead, the system is open for everyone at the same time. However, this also relies on the information and advice provided by the 9

10 schools to the parents. In the Netherlands schools do not actively provide information. This means parents have to look actively for proper education. The system should actively seek to address the entire community, by facilitating information and advice through a cooperation between the schools and the municipality. A structural approach in this case is not sufficient in my opinion. The parents should be involved in this process. Facilitating parents initiatives by organizing seminars or discussion groups in cooperation with the schools and the municipality on the desires and whishes of the parents could improve the educational system bottom-top. Public housing & Social integration In the Netherlands cultural and religious groups tend to cluster together when it comes to housing. A natural phenomenon in my opinion, however the creation of a comfort zone with the same ethnicity, religious background and cultural values and habits results in segregation in society. The lack of interaction between social groups reduces the understanding and acceptance of each other. In my opinion this is a crucial indicator to create harmonization in society. A structural approach in this case would support the social integration by means of incentives, however the main issue is the lack of social interaction. Culture or ethnicity cluster will remain at this level if there is no relational approach to this problem. Inter-cultural marriage would for example be a positive change on the long-term. However, according to a recent survey; Both Dutch and non-native Dutch are modestly reluctant to inter-cultural marriage ranging between 20% for native Dutch people and 38% of non-native Dutch. The statistics for inter-cultural relationships are noticeably negative for native Dutch people, a small majority of native-dutch people 10

11 perceive inter-cultural relationships as no problem at all. However, non-native Dutch people have a huge majority who do not perceive inter-cultural relationships a problem at all. (Statistieken, Dichterbij?, 2012). In my opinion this statistics does not represent the reality. Only 17% of non-native Dutch people claim to have regular contact with native Dutch people. Thus, even though relationships are not a problem at all, there are almost no relationships between native-dutch people and non-native Dutch people (Statistieken, Dichterbij?, 2012). By facilitating interaction between ethnic groups, these statistics would prove to be different from my point of view. It is in my opinion regrettable at least to see these figures, especially if you consider the downward trend. Approach to change trough education According to John Paul Lederach a tool towards peace building includes a multi relational approach is evident including all levels, personal, relational, structural, and cultural (Lederach, 2007). The following table represents an educational approach towards change and successful integration by facilitating mixed-schools. The lines crossing the columns and rows represent the link and the strategy towards successful change. For the purpose of this paper I will link the most crucial columns and rows. Remind, the system is interlinked and a successful process cannot succeed through a separate approach only. In table two on page 13 a log frame (Migration for development, 2011) is made to make the approach specific. The model includes indicators, measurements and assumptions. 11

12 Personal Relational Structural Cultural Focus Theories Indicators Active participation, go beyond your comfort zone. Create a lively interest in establishing a shared identity and strive for personal achievement as well as achievement of society. *Participation in dialogue for desires in mixed-schools *Increase interaction with people of different cultural background *attend language courses if necessary Increase awareness of differences and similarities, recognize areas of conflict and create a voice *25% Reduction of culture clusters in 5 years. *90% increase in Dutch language proficiency to a C2 level within 15 years. Table 1 Peace building tool 'Lederach' Integration through friendship. Facilitate afterschool care(sports, recreational and other communities) *mixed schools (respectful and accurate description of all religions) *Empowerment of individuals to speak out, create dialogue to identify and solve problems on a relational level. * Inter-cultural relationships should be promoted with introduction of mixed-school classes. Increasing relationships and team building will facilitate greater cooperation *In a time frame of 10 years the larger majority(75%) of students should study at mixed schools (7% increase annually) *70% increase in inter-cultural/ethnic relationships(5 years) *Central government Pursue and effect policy change on a national and regional level. Increase funding for mixed-schools and gradually abolish/remit funding for one-faith schools to transform majority of the schools into mixed-schools. *Municipality should facilitate locations, information and guide the transformation process locally. *School-boards/administrators Facilitate dialogue for change, and provide information for parents/students. *Establish a multi-cultural approach to teacherstraining/education *Incentives and programs to promote multi-cultural neighborhoods Policy change requires direct channels, community support, clear goals setting through dialogue and reflection *Quality level similar to White schools within 10 years. *Overall multi-cultural teachers (90%) * Increase in political participation Focus should be on leadership. Individuals desire a strong person from which affection and recognition is given. Participation in national holidays and religious celebration. Regional/national community examples that empower the rest of society. Increased community and recognition of pending or future problems will decrease fear for the unknown. *Socializing during national events/holidays, monitored by surveys, polls. *Reflection with leaders (community, schools, government) *Increased acknowledgement of a shared identity in 15 years. *Decrease in stereotypes 12

13 Overall Objective Specific Objective Output Activities Table 2 Log-frame for mixed-school project Project summary Indicators Means of verification Assumptions Transformation of onefaith Percentage of one-faith Comparison of schools to a schools transformed to provincial statistics in majority of mixedschools mixed schools participation and transformation Increase the number of mixed-school to 75% Central government en local government set up integration programs for schools in the 6 most multicultural provinces Workshops for schoolboards and parents to identify problems and discuss the lay-out of the plan on an individual school level. Participation of local governments and schoolboards. Participation of local schools for the program. Locations and information provided by local government and school boards for parents and vice-versa. Interim survey on the progress in two or three years. Records of participating provinces and schoolboards Amount of parents, provinces, and schoolboards actively participate and show dedication and interest. High percentage of participation in the program. Wide interest of local politics to solve integration problems. Willingness of parents, provincial government and school-boards in order to create mixedschools as means of achieving integration This table represents the specific project of the creation of mixed-school system. The project works both from bottom to top and from the top to the bottom. The main weakness in this project is the assumption. Statistics in the paper prove that the willingness of school-boards is high and see it as a necessary step in order to successfully integrate society. However, the central government and the ethnic groups show little interest in this approach. Convincing the public and the central government is crucial to achieve a successful project. The pillars of this project rely on the willingness of the people and of structural initiatives of the central government. 13

14 Conclusion Reflecting on this paper and the research carried out, regarding the integration through a mixed school proved to be challenging. The numerous indicators relating to integration makes the problem complex. A complex problem is not necessarily solved with a complex solution. However, in order to setup a mixed school system all parties involving parties have to dedicate attention and energy to solve the problem. Based on the research, I do not think the willingness of the population and the government current orientation is sufficient to approach the problem from my angle proposed in this paper. The differences between cultural groups and the sentiment of society are too low. The sentiment of the population and the government first has to be addressed in order to achieve integration through education based upon mixed schools. However, the models provided in the paper would fit into the early stages of creating a program. During my research as a Dutch person I was shocked about the fact that the overall perception of the different cultural/ethnic groups is so incredibly extensive. One might argue that the problem should have been addresses in the past, when the first immigrants arrived. However, in my opinion that is far from realistic, simply because society has to deal with the problem now and look into the future instead of the past. By doing this paper I am even more convinced that education is a solution to the major problems, like unemployment, discrimination, equality etc. A paper of fifteen pages can give a brief introduction and outline the problems, but a real solution would need more research and participation of external parties. 14

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