‘Internationalisation is enriching, but requires cooperation’
The Brainport region is becoming increasingly international. This offers opportunities, but also places demands on childcare facilities and primary, secondary and special education. That is why governments, the business community and educational institutions are working together to realise the same ambition: by 2027, the region will be organised in such a way that it can respond to the ever-fluctuating influx of international children. How are we doing this, and where are the opportunities and challenges? Teachers, school administrators and policymakers explain. This time: Paul van Nunen (director of Brainport Development) and Stijn Steenbakkers (councillor for Education and Brainport, among other things, at the municipality of Eindhoven).
“The Brainport region is buzzing with innovative, high-tech companies,” says Councillor Stijn Steenbakkers. “Economic growth, together with the region's appeal, will cause the number of residents to increase significantly in the coming years. This includes many internationals. We don't know exactly how many yet. What we do know is that it is a broad group: knowledge workers, status holders and migrant workers.” This development creates opportunities and challenges, including in education.
Globalising society
Stijn Steenbakkers is particularly positive about the future. “All these different languages and cultures are a huge enrichment for our region. Just look at how well children speak English now, compared to thirty years ago.” Paul agrees. ‘Even if the composition of the population were not to change, we would still have to focus on internationalisation. The world is becoming increasingly interconnected. It is important that our children learn to find their way in this globalising society. Focusing on internationalisation in education is simply part of that.’
Maintaining balance
The councillor sees another opportunity. ‘The region has been dealing with a shrinking population for a long time. This makes it difficult to maintain facilities such as bus routes, schools and shops. Thanks to its economic activity and good living, working and residential environment, Brainport has now become a magnet for people who want to live and work here. These new residents come from all corners of the country and include many internationals.’ Yet that is precisely one of the challenges. “How do we ensure that there will soon be enough schools in the entire region for all those international children? And how do we ensure that there is still room for our history and culture? It is important to maintain that balance.”
First priority
According to both of them, all aspects related to the further development of the region can only be tackled together. That is why a task force was set up, in which aldermen, school administrators and the business community, among others, work together. Paul: 'This is how we will get started with curriculum development, with the aim of creating an inclusive and language-rich environment for all children in the Brainport region. Our wish is to do this together with teachers. At the moment, they are often already overwhelmed with everything that needs to be done today. This makes it difficult to focus on tomorrow. If it were up to me, reducing that workload would be our top priority. For example, I see opportunities in getting spouses (partners, ed.) of internationals involved in education and childcare. Or by making more use of education professionals with an associate degree.'
Warm welcome
All these joint objectives have been laid down in a Regional Implementation Agenda. These include training and professionalising educational staff and teaching professionals in the field of internationalisation. But also: providing good information and a warm welcome for international parents and children. “To this end, we developed a so-called landing strip,” says Paul. 'This image helps educational institutions, the business community and local authorities to explain what education in the Netherlands looks like. Stijn emphasises how important this collaboration is: “I am extremely proud that the education sector, the business community and local authorities are working so well together here to provide solutions to the challenges that lie ahead. We cannot do this alone. Together we can achieve more.”
Regional Implementation Agenda for Internationalisation in Education
This article is part of a series of interviews with administrators and (education) professionals. They talk about what internationalisation in education means to them and how they are working on the Regional Implementation Agenda.
This agenda focuses on the opportunities offered by the internationalisation of the Brainport region, but also addresses the pressure this puts on childcare and primary education. Together, we are working on an appropriate and flexible range of educational programmes for the various target groups, as well as on physical educational facilities. We ensure that all children feel welcome in the Brainport region and that all children can make the most of the opportunities our region has to offer.
You can download the agenda via the button below. For more information, please contact Mieke Zijlstra, programme manager, m.zijlstra@brainportdevelopment.
Download de Regionale Uitvoeringsagenda Internationalisering Onderwijs hier