Info

De Platoschool (2023)

Name: De Platoschool
Genre: Documentary
Released: 2023-05-24T17:46:00+02:00
Rating: 3.42

Documentary | 56 minutes

3,42 6 votes

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1 comment

Genre: Documentary

Duration: 56 minuten

Country: Netherlands

Directed by: Yara Hannema

This movie is not available on US streaming services.

De Platoschool plot

Filmmaker Yara Hannema is a child of the Plato School. An Amsterdam primary school that was founded in 1983 by people with special spiritual and philosophical ideals. The students learned, among other things, Sanskrit, Indian dance and philosophy; with the intention of “growing a higher consciousness”. Are these kinds of ideals a good basis for education? Thirteen years after its foundation, the school was discredited because children were beaten there. Teachers were convicted for this and eventually the school had to close its doors. In the documentary, Yara reconstructs the events.

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mrklm

11659 messages
10059 votes

24 May 2023 at 17:46

The Platoschool was a primary school for Special Education in Amsterdam that evolved from the School of Philosophy and opened its doors in 1983. Yara Hannema traveled 22 kilometers every day to receive lessons in subjects that combined Western and Eastern values in terms of content. The children didn't know any better at the time, as is evident when some of them spoke remarkably candidly in front of the cameras in 1996 about the use of corporal punishment, as a result of which the Plato School came to be seen in a negative light and had to close its doors a few years later. Hannema questions her parents about their motives, talks to students to find out what their time at the Platoschool has meant for their pedagogical and social functioning, and asks inspirer Paul van Ooyen (who emphasizes that he was never on the board) uncomfortable questions. Lecturer Ans Does makes it clear how heavy the price is that a whistleblower has to pay. Hannema tries to make it a personal story, but that makes her lose sight of the big picture. The biggest problem is thatit ends up being a bit of a storm in a teacup.