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🇧🇪 Belgium /Culture & Society

Kortrijk reopens summer school after 6 years to offer Dutch language immersion

From VRT NWS · () Dutch

Translated from Dutch, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • Kortrijk, Belgium, has reopened its "Zomerschool" (Summer School) after a six-year hiatus, offering a two-week Dutch language immersion program.
  • The program targets around 64 newcomer children from kindergarten to sixth grade who speak little or no Dutch at home, aiming to prevent a learning gap at the start of the school year.
  • The summer school uses playful, non-traditional methods, combining educational activities in the morning with sports, games, and outings in the afternoon to help children master the language.

Kortrijk, Belgium, has revived its "Zomerschool" (Summer School) after a six-year absence, providing a vital two-week Dutch language immersion experience for approximately 64 children.

Two months of summer vacation is long if less or no Dutch is spoken at home. Then they start with a disadvantage in September.

— MarliesMarlies from Oscarcrew vzw explained the need for the summer school to prevent children from falling behind in Dutch language skills.

The initiative focuses on newcomer children, ranging from third kindergarten to sixth grade, who have limited exposure to Dutch at home. Marlies from Oscarcrew vzw, the organization running the program, explained the necessity: "Two months of summer vacation is long if less or no Dutch is spoken at home. Then they start with a disadvantage in September." The summer school aims to "re-immerse these children in Dutch" so they are prepared for the upcoming academic year.

It is our task to re-immerse these children in Dutch, so they are ready for the next school year.

— MarliesMarlies described the program's objective to prepare children for the upcoming academic year.

Learning at the Zomerschool is designed to be engaging and non-traditional. Mornings are dedicated to playful, educational Dutch language activities. Afternoons focus on indirect language acquisition through sports, games, and creative workshops, or city excursions. "For me, the summer school is successful if the children have learned something and go home with a smile," Marlies stated, emphasizing the importance of both learning and enjoyment.

For me, the summer school is successful if the children have learned something and go home with a smile.

— MarliesMarlies shared her criteria for a successful summer school program.

Giovanny Saelens, alderman for Ancillary Education, noted the difficulties teachers faced in re-engaging students with Dutch after the summer break. "With the summer school, we want to bridge that gap by combining language support with relaxation, social interaction, and discovery," he said. Children are referred by school liaisons and teachers from Kortrijk's primary schools, and the program is offered free of charge. The goal is to reduce the learning gap and ensure students can seamlessly reintegrate into their regular classes.

The teachers experienced a lot of difficulty getting certain students back on track with Dutch

— Giovanny SaelensAlderman Giovanny Saelens highlighted the challenges teachers face with students' Dutch language skills after summer.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by VRT NWS in Dutch. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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