Wet toezicht informeel onderwijs

Reactie

Vraag1

Dear Members of Parliament,

I would like to object to the bill on supervision of informal education for children aged 4 to 17. Although protecting children is important, I have serious concerns about this bill.

The bill seems to be aimed primarily at Islamic informal education. This is not in proportion to the signals mentioned and therefore feels disproportionate. Furthermore, it restricts national and international fundamental rights, such as freedom of education, association, and religion. These freedoms are essential in a democratic constitutional state.

The bill attempts to include informal education under Article 23 of the Constitution, while this article is only intended for compulsory education within the public system. In addition, it violates the separation of church and state, because the government gains influence on internal church affairs and religious education. This goes against fundamental principles. Furthermore, the bill ignores Article 6 of the Constitution (freedom of religion) and only refers to European law, which undermines the assessment against the Constitution. The use of different legal sources seems arbitrary and inconsistent.

The proposal gives the inspectorate the authority to enter churches, but that is in conflict with Article 12 of the Constitution, which sets strict restrictions on this. The proposal also leaves room for ambiguity regarding terms such as "incitement to hatred, violence or discrimination", which creates room for subjective and arbitrary interpretations.

In short, this proposal could unintentionally stigmatize the Islamic community and damage the relationship of trust with the government. I request that you reconsider the bill and ensure a balanced, transparent and non-discriminatory policy, so that all communities in the Netherlands retain equal rights and opportunities.