“My little girl spoke good English before, but now her language was a little different.”
How to describe the Danish-somali Amina Hashi her daughter’s language development, after the daughter started on the Herningsholmskolens department Holtbjerg in Herning.
Here 63 out of the 64 students of a different ethnic background than Danish.
It is the result of a controversial restructuring of schools in Herning Municipality, where the city council has split Herningsholmskolen up, as the ethnic Danish children are separated from children with non-western background.
With the turn expect mayor Lars Krarup (V), that there is only 10-15 percent non-western students back in the original Herningsholmskolen. While all except one student in the new department Holtbjerg a different ethnic background than Danish.
Herningsholmskolen had experienced, to Danish parents chose the school because there was an increase in the number of two-language children.
Hence, created the city council a new, separate skoleafdeling to the non-western children in an old school in an area of the city, where there live many non-western citizens.
“we need to do in order to save Herningsholmskolen, so it is still attractive for ethnic Danish parents,” said mayor Lars Krarup (V) to Herning Folkeblad last year, when the agreement was concluded.
on Wednesday got the Herning Municipality harsh criticism of the Department of human Rights for unlawful discrimination on the basis of ethnicity in skoleflytningen.
B. T. has spoken with five families with children on the department Holtbjerg, all of which have a different ethnic origin than Danish. All five families are highly dissatisfied with having been moved to the new skoleafdeling.
They have a deep desire that their children get a good education with Danish values among the other Danish students. It they do not believe that they get now.
Amina Hashis six-year-old girl began in the department Holtbjerg in 0. class after the summer holidays this year. But even though she now goes to school, the family has experienced, that her language skills have been inferior.
“Our foreign children learn more English, if they are together with the danes. But if there are only arab or somali pupils, so chatting may be only the language of the break,” says Amina Hashi.
at the Home of another English-somali mother, Aamino Siyd, they believe that their child will now get education at a lower level than before.
“Now they treat all of them as bilingual. But my daughter is born and raised in Denmark and should not go along with all those who are in modtageklassen,” she says through her older daughter, who interprets for her.
the Same tale comes from the family of Ahmed Ali, who has a daughter in 2. class. Older brother Khalid Jamal on 26 years interpret over the phone for his parents:
“We would like to have, that she must be a part of society and the Danish culture, for she is born and raised here. But this school acts as a modtageklasse,” he says.
At the iranian-kurdish family Thahir Amine is particularly infuriating about the fact that they have not had the opportunity to oppose the decision, as they feel that the municipality has taken on their behalf.
They have a boy of eight years, which goes in 3. class. Even he has noticed that his friends now only called names such as ‘Yussuf’.
“It has never been the goal politically, but now do it anyway,” said the student’s sister Sofia Amine.
The fifth family, the B. T. is talking to, have already chosen to move their children to another school.
“They were in a class together with the other, as they could not talk English or communicate with,” says dad Mohammed, who did not want his name in the newspaper.
“It has already been much better since they changed it,” he says.
the Headmistress Lone Hook that controls the Herningsholmskolen and department Holtbjerg, can not recognize the image of the unhappy parents and children, which fall in level.
“The parents I speak with are happy, and we are seeing happy children. I have not seen any indications that they have been worse academically or linguistically,” she says.
She stresses Pashabahis that the school has got four million extra in grant to have a special focus on providing students with the necessary attention.
Neither herning’s Left-mayor Lars Krarup, or the Liberal party president of the Children’s and Familieudvalget, Amy West, will put up for interview.
Amy West refers to a short written statement on the municipality’s website, where it appears to the city council disagree with the Department of human rights criticism.
