“Racist” school assignment sparks parental backlash in the Netherlands
Parents in the Dutch city of Schiedam have expressed strong outrage after a language assignment distributed at a secondary school was accused of containing racist content targeting people of Moroccan origin.
According to a report by the Bladi news website, students at LIFE College were given a Dutch-language spelling and grammar exercise that involved correcting a fictional job application letter. However, the text attributed to an imaginary applicant named “Abdel” was found to be filled with stereotypical and derogatory references to Moroccans.
The assignment stated that the applicant’s residence permit had expired three years earlier, while the phrase “Not all Moroccans are thieves” drew particular criticism from parents. Families described the inclusion of such statements under the guise of a grammar exercise as “racist” and “discriminatory.”
A parent who first noticed the issue reacted strongly after her daughter encountered the content in class and shared the assignment on social media. The post quickly gained widespread attention, with many users condemning the exercise as “discrimination disguised as education.” Some school staff members were also seen voicing criticism on social media.
Following the backlash, the school administration summoned the teacher who had prepared the assignment. The teacher argued that the text was an old example dating back to 2009 and was used to demonstrate “how not to write a job application.” However, this explanation failed to satisfy the school leadership.
In response, the school administration acknowledged that the text was unacceptable and that it reproduced negative stereotypes about people of Moroccan origin. The school issued an apology to parents and confirmed that an explanatory email had been sent to all families. It also stated that the issue would be addressed in classrooms with students in order to question and challenge prejudices.
While emphasizing that teachers enjoy pedagogical freedom, the school management stressed that a serious error of judgment had occurred in this case.
