Refugees in Eindhoven who are studying, in most cases, will no longer be obliged to be searching for employment whilst they are studying. They will be able to keep their benefits in the case that they are not entitled to the Dutch study grant.
Eindhoven municipality has agreed to this with the Stichting voor Vluchteling-Studenten UAF (The foundation for refugees-students, www.uaf.nl), the oldest refugee organization in the Netherlands set up in 1948 to support 50 Czech students at that time who had fled to the Netherlands.
The foundation supports refugees during their studies and also in eventually finding employment. The municipality of Eindhoven wants to make it easier for refugees to get an exemption from the ‘sollicitatieplicht’ (obligation to find work). It is envisaged that coupled with an extra guarantee for financial support, the employment opportunities should be increased.
At present there are too many hurdles for refugees to be able to study. Diplomas are often considered of lesser value or refugees are obliged to look for employment, despite having the aptitude to further their studies and thus become more able to contribute in their new lives.
Source: studio040
Translator: Jennifer den Dekker
