Amsterdam, Netherlands, Jun 1, 2005 / 22:00 pm
The Dutch education minister says it’s time to reopen the debate on the Theory of Evolution. Currently in the Netherlands, there is debate on Islam and evolution and on the curriculum in Christian schools.
Recently, Mininster Marie Van der Hoeven commented favorably in her blog on the theory of Intelligent Design, which posits that the origins of the universe can be attributed to an intelligent design. This resulted in her having to answer questions on the subject in Parliament.
The Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant published an interview with the minister May 21, in which she advocated dialogue and openness in high schools and universities to explore different people’s beliefs about the origins of the universe.
"We prefer for young people to become acquainted with different views. That is laid down in our education standards. It is part of your development to adulthood that you get to hear ideas from different vantage points,” she said.