Last year 47,000 people settling in Flanders took the official Dutch Language course for newcomers. Three-quarters of the students did so voluntarily.
Learning Dutch is tremendously popular among people settling in Flanders. EU citizens and Ukrainians, who enjoy a special status as refugees, are able to follow the course. The Dutch course is only mandatory for people from outside the EU settling here including asylum seekers. The Dutch course form part of a wider package of integration courses.
Flanders welcomed 72,000 newcomers last year including 30,000 Ukrainians. A quarter of the remaining 42,000 newcomers were asylum seekers.
47,000 newcomers followed the Dutch course that is organised by the Flemish Integration agency. Three-quarters followed the course voluntarily including 14,000 Ukrainians.
In addition to the Dutch course the wider integration course includes social orientation lessons, help in finding a job and integrating in society. There is also the buddy project that involves a newcomer teaming up with a Flemish person for 40 hours of activities.
Jo De Ro, the director of the integration agency, says the wider integration course requires quite an effort: “This is why people who aren’t obliged to do the course often pick things that are practical for them and that is often learning Dutch”.