Out‑of‑school children without education: balance goes to court.

Out‑of‑school children without education: balance goes to court.

More and more children stay at home without tailored education. Parent association Balans finds this unacceptable and therefore starts a legal procedure against the government. The goal: enforce that every child actually receives education that fits.

Why this step?

According to Balans, the problem has gone beyond individual situations for years. Children who get stuck in education often lose their self-confidence and joy in learning. This affects not only the child but the whole family.

At the same time, the numbers keep rising. The Out‑of‑school children count report shows that:

• at least 70,000 children have been out of school without education for more than three months
• about 280,000 children do not follow full education
• which amounts to about 11% of all school-going children

According to Balans, it is clear: the education system does not match the differences between children enough.

New plans

Director Joli Luijckx sees the consequences daily. Children lose confidence in themselves and in their future. Parents do not ask for new plans but for solutions that really work. Joli: “We see how children who get stuck in education slowly lose confidence in themselves, in school, and sometimes even in their future.”

With the lawsuit, Balans wants to hold the government responsible for guaranteeing tailored education for every child.

Support requested from parents and professionals

Balans calls on parents, youth, and professionals to speak out and support the legal step. Through a support statement, the association wants to show there is broad support for change. You can sign this as a parent as well.

The core of that statement:

• every child has the right to tailored education
• the problem lies in the system, not in the child
• children’s rights are currently insufficiently observed