Ziezon

Ziezon (Rural network Illness and Education, landelijk netwerk ziek zijn & onderwijs) is a ministry service located in Netherlands. This is a network of teachers, consultants, advisers and others who work with sick children in their homes. It is supported by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science.

The general goal of teaching support to sick pupils in University Hospitals is aimed at continuation of education, as a means to help sick pupils re-enter school and prevent feelings of isolation. Educational support of sick pupils includes more than teaching parts of the curriculum.

The hospital teacher is member of the multidisciplinary team of the hospital, and informs the home school and the parents about the possibilities of educational support provided by consultants of regional school advisory services.

Source: Aims and Goals of University Education Centers in Holland, http://www.ziezon.nl/uploadedFiles/148.pdf, (PDF 0,04MB)

As with the Belgian initiative Bednet, one of Ziezon's ICT services is 'KlasseContact', a laptop with camera through which sick children still maintain the contact with their class, where a 'digibeter' or 'webchair' is set up.

The Ziezon web site is at http://www.ziezon.nl.

History:

Since the decree on educational support for sick students of 1 August 1999 (Ondersteuning Onderwijs Zieke Leerlingen (WOOZL)), hospital schools were disbanded in the Netherlands. A network was set up in 2000 for the 130 teachers of these hospital schools and their co-ordinators, to maintain and further develop their expertise, as well as to organise events and implementing ICT resources. Today Ziezon is a network that is there for anything to do with providing education to the ill.

Sources:

• What is Ziezon: http://www.ziezon.nl/homepage/ziezon/wat_is_ziezon
• History: http://www.ziezon.nl/homepage/ziezon/historie

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