News: Students call for quieter rooms

Yesterday, the pupils’ and students’ unions jointly presented a manifesto to members of the House of Representatives. They urge to create more spaces in schools and educational institutions for silence or prayer.

The manifesto was signed by many parties: including the National Union of Students (Lsvb), the Interurban Student Consultation (ISO), the Landelijk Aktie Komitee Scholieren (LAKS) and the Muslim Students Association of the Netherlands (MSA ).

feel at home

These organizations want every pupil and student to feel welcome at school. Now, however, there is too little room for their need for silence or prayer. For example, the Lsvb reportedly received “a lot of signals” indicating that students lack such space in their educational institution.

“At a time when more than half of young adults in the Netherlands suffer from psychological disorders and the pressure on the well-being of pupils and students is increasing, the importance of quiet rooms becomes more evident”, writing the union about the manifesto.

It’s been going on longer

But it is also a question of faith. In April, Achraf El Johari, professor at the AUAS, already wrote a notice about it at the NRC. He thinks there should be room for students to just say their prayers in college. According to El Johari, the fact that educational institutions are “secular” and therefore prefer not to get involved in religious beliefs should not stand in the way.

In the meantime, the Asva Student Union is also pushing for more quiet and prayer rooms. A tour they conducted with a hundred UvA and HvA students now shows that almost half feel “embarrassed” to use the rooms. For example, because too many students use it.

Hva situation

A few locations in the AUAS have been designated as Quiet Zones. The space in the Wibauthuis has been around for some time, this year another was added in the Theo Thijssenhuis. Necessary, thought the AUAS, because a line of students regularly queues in front of the Wibauthuis space. Interests also sometimes clashed: one wanted to pray, the other a place of silence or meditation without stimulus.

It is not yet known whether the AUAS will move to quieter or prayer rooms. In April, the University of Applied Sciences cautiously announced that it would begin a “dialogue on inclusive rest areas”. This is due to a petition which has been signed 2500 times.

This remains a sensitive issue that comes up every year. Years ago, in 2011, the HvA closed an existing rest room in the Leeuwenburg, the old building near Amstel station. At the time, the space was almost entirely used by Islamic students. The council did not think it was up to the AUAS to meet this need, as it was at the time explanation.