Access to education in Antwerp

Currently the Micado application for migrants in Antwerp features information on three topics related to education: 1. Learning Dutch 2. Schooling for Children and 3. Recognition of education certificates.

Micado includes instructions for learners that want to study independently at home, pointing them to relevant books and websites that can assist them in leaning Dutch and inform them about opportunities to practice Dutch online and offline. A guided process helps newcomers through the steps that they have to take to enrol in Dutch lessons, providing useful information about venues, costs and relevant documents.

Micado also offers information about administrative processes, such as enrolling a child in school. The application guides users through the necessary steps of choosing a school, registering online, responding to a positive or negative reply from the school and, if positive, enrolling a child in school. Using the step-by-step guide, this process becomes a straight forward affair rather than a daunting task for families not familiar with the Dutch school system.

Another example of a guided process explained by Micado is the recognition of foreign qualifications in Belgium, and in Flanders more specifically. The application explains each of the steps in detail: 1. Finding the right agency to submit the application to. 2. Choosing one of two procedures to get the qualification recognized, 3. Collecting relevant documents and 4. Submitting the application. In the application, users can find out about addresses of service providers and costs associated with each step of the administrative process.