From August, all students attending primary and secondary school in Friesland will “actively” use the Frisian language, according to new educational guidelines.
The measure setting out new core objectives for the Frisian language in schools passed the provincial council unanimously and will require both the oral and written use of Frisian in the school curriculum.
For the country’s other 11 provinces, educational standards are set in The Hague by parliament and the education ministry. The province of Friesland, however, has an exemption.
A report in 2016 found that the language could disappear. Some 30% of children spoke Fries at home and usage dropped to 22% outside of the home.
Frisian is the second national language of the Netherlands and has protected status.
In 2017, the language was used in EU parliament for the first time. Jan Huitema, an MEP from Makkinga for the VVD party, addressed his colleagues in Brussels in Frisian as part of a session dedicated to Europe’s minority languages.
Primary and lower secondary schools can begin implementing the new core objectives at the start of the 2026-2027 school year and have until the 2030-2031 school year to do so.
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