News from Amsterdam


To the front page

11/1 Jurists want to stay in Oudemanhuispoort

8/2 Mayor’s portrait

8/2 Websites for social cohesion

7/2 Spreading tourism proceeds with difficulty

7/2 GroenLinks on districts: Be a man

6/2 Zuideramstel opens new office on Sabbath

5/2 The truth about integration

4/2 Wilders has little support on Amsterdam

3/2 Elite involved in neighbourhood

2/2 Johnnie Walker avoids taxes in Amsterdam

1/2 Rotterdam to tinker with district councils as well

31/1 Wooden rowing boats to disappear from Amstel

31/1 ZeeburgTV launched

27/1 Privacy activists to mess up loyalty card system

27/1 A few were still coughing, but that was an act

27/1 Chrisis in de Baarsjes

26/1 Youth have positive view of districts

24/1 Action groups call for Carmel and Jaffa boycott

24/1 PvdA members dismiss plan for districts

23/1 KLM takes on crisis with new uniform

23/1 District office not squatted

21/1 Merge districts

20/1 Closing squat bar Vrankrijk not necessary

20/1 Cleaners welcome new Schiphol director

18/1 Palestine at the Jewish Historical Museum

18/1 What is the right size for a district?

17/1 PvdA Oost against fewer districts

16/1 Committee: 7 districts by 2010

15/1 Soldiers may attend Afghanistan debate after all

15/1 Bait bike leads to arrest

14/1 Youth for Christ to republish vacancies

13/1 Paintings of the Zuidas

13/1 New Youth for Christ contoversy

11/1 Social cohesion initiative raises eyebrows

10/1 Fewer districts in 2010

10/1 Zuidas: People feel that we are losers

9/1 Fun on the ice - but not for all

9/1 Supermarket coupon fraud thwarted

9/1 I Amsterdam must remain exclusive

8/1 Use term Apartheid in every discussion

8/1 No city kiosk in Amsterdam yet

7/1 Snow

7/1 Fatima Elatik to run Zeeburg

7/1 Municipal managers to return to shop floor

4/1 Police: take photo of strange people

3/1 Gaza protest criticises politicians

1/1 Thousands to protest against attacks on Gaza

1/1 Mustapha Laboui leaves district council

 

2008 Archive

2007 Archive

2006 Archive

2005 Archive

 

 

 

 

Islam Party wants crisis manager for Islamic College

4 December 2006 – Arif Potmis of the Islam Democrats says that a crisis manager should be appointed to solve the problems at the Islam College Amsterdam (ICA). “I am infuriated. The messing about must stop”. Islamic schools’ organisation ISBO suggests that the board should resign.

The ICA became headline news when the Schools Inspectorate and Trouw newspaper expressed devastating criticism of the school’s quality. The Christian-Democrats (CDA) want the government to intervene and to withdraw funding if necessary.

Both Potmis and Rasit Bal, Director of the Islamic School Boards’ Organisation (ISBO) say they understand the CDA’s response. They find that the problems at the ICA damage the image of Islamic schools and of denominational education in general.

Headmaster Piet Guijt of the ICA says in today’s Parool that the school is facing start-up problems, but that these are being dealt with. “I expect that improvements will get us out of the danger zone”.

Potmis finds this nonsense. “The school started years ago, you cannot speak of start-up problems anymore. The board has shown its own incompetence. A crisis manager must be appointed to deal with the problems”.

Bal too finds that the board must take responsibility. Asked whether he means that it should step down, he says: “We cannot rule out that option. In the end, this is not about the board members, but about the school children and the parents”.

To prevent similar problems in the future, Potmis wants the government to assess the quality of proposals for new schools more critically. For example, a quality certificate could be demanded. Bal disagrees; he finds that it is up to the parents to judge the quality of schools.

At last November’s Parliamentary elections, Potmis headed the list of the Islam Democrats. The party did not make it into Parliament, but it does have one seat on the city council of The Hague.

 

Want to receive News from Amsterdam? Click here

 

This is the old website. Please find new content here