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General Affairs: standards and values to be given priority

News item | 16-09-2003

Restoring socially accepted standards and values will be a top priority for the government. Policies on education, public safety and security, youth care services and integration will reflect this concern.

This emerges from the Ministry of General Affairs' budget for 2004. Other priorities will be the Innovation Platform chaired by the Prime Minister and the Dutch Presidency of the European Union in the second half of 2004.

Standards and values
In order to foster a sense of citizenship, the government wants to encourage placements in the health and welfare sector for secondary school children. Ten pilot projects will be launched in schools within the current school year.

The government also wants to help provide a safe and secure environment for young people, to establish norms of healthy behaviour (including non-smoking, healthy eating, safe sex, sensible attitudes to alcohol and drug use, and regular physical exercise), and to combat bullying and discrimination. A special website will provide a forum for schools to exchange ideas on good practice in this area.