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Response to Covid-19 during the school year 2020-2021
In the Netherlands, schools in the North region have been fully open since 17 August 2020 while in the rest of the country schools reopened on September 1st, 2020.
Primary school students do not have to keep distance from each other or from their teacher. Pre-primary students are also allowed to go to school if they have a cold. In high schools, students keep distance from their teacher, but not from the other students. Furthermore, the basic rules apply: wash hands often, stay at home in case of sickness and adults keeping their distance.
Special arrangements have been put into place for Higher Education i.e. lessons are spread out throughout the day so that students can travel avoiding peak times.
Response to Covid-19 during the school year 2019-2020
As of 08 June 2020, primary schools were fully reopened. They had already opened on 11 May but on a “part-time” basis.
During the lockdown
Schools prepared their own teaching materials and the ministry runs a dedicated website with an overview of applications, educational resources and suppliers on teaching remotely. Schools require more guidance on lesson plans and prioritising subjects.
Assessment is done partially online while national tests in primary education are halted. The decision to what secondary school pupils can go to will be based only on the teacher report.
The website provides an overview of all relevant information schools need to enable learning at a distance. Kennisnet had developed some tutorials and gathered best practices for, amongst other things, online teaching, choosing learning materials, collaboration, ICT infrastructure, testing and all matters concerning privacy and safety. Organisations throughout the Netherlands have been asked to share their experiences and best practices with Kennisnet. Kennisnet then uses this input to act as a guide to schools in shaping education. Kennisnet has also opened a digital desk to answer any questions that schools and teachers might have. SIVON and Kennisnet have worked together to buy and distribute devices to children in need of a device at home. They are also collaborating with major ICT companies and telecom providers to help children with more devices and high-speed internet.