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Sponsoring of schools.
A school can receive extra money through sponsoring. A company or institution then gives goods, services or money to the school in exchange for a return service. To make sure children are not exposed to unwanted advertising, agreements are set in a covenant. There are also rules in the law about advertising in schools.
What is sponsoring
Sponsoring of schools means that schools accept money, goods or services from companies or institutions to finance extra school and out-of-school activities. It gives schools a chance to offer something extra to pupils. At the same time, it can be a risk for unwanted advertising. To have guidance on what is allowed, agreements about sponsoring in education are set in a covenant.
Advantages and disadvantages of sponsoring for the school
Sponsoring can help the school in many ways. For example, a one-time donation from local shops for a fancy fair or school party. Usually, the sponsor asks little in return from pupils, parents, teachers or the school. The sponsor is often satisfied with just having their name mentioned in the school newspaper. Because of this, donations like this are usually not seen as a problem. It is different when sponsoring one or more classrooms. The sponsor then often expects a good return like having their company name everywhere or using certain services.
Legal conditions
Sponsoring at school must follow some legal rules. Sponsoring can only be accepted with the agreement of the school participation council (article 10, paragraph f of the law). In addition, the sponsoring policy must be included in the school plan and the school guide. Parents must also know they can complain about sponsoring via the school’s complaint procedure.
Agreements in the sponsoring covenant
The school must also take into account the so-called ‘Sponsoring covenant‘. This covenant has rules about sponsoring in education. It is drawn up by the Ministry of OCW, Ouders & Onderwijs, several education organizations and business representatives. The acceptance of sponsor money is bound to some conditions. For example, the core activities of the school (education) must not depend on sponsor money. Sponsoring must not influence the content of education. The sponsoring must be in line with good taste and decency (no misleading texts).
Disagreeing with sponsoring
A covenant is not a law or regulation but an agreement without sanctions if it is not followed. In practice, schools and sponsors may not always obey the covenant. Parents can then complain about sponsoring via the school’s complaint procedure.