ABSTRACT
The matter of knowing or feeling one belongs to a certain ethnic group and the positive or negative valuation of the membership by Surinamese children will be discussed along the lines of their self-concept. An indication of the reliability of this test is the great similarity between the answers given to the different investigators. The idea that the ethnic group of the investigator is of substantial influence on the outcome of the research seems, according to our results, to be overstated. Irrespective of ethnic groups the majority of the children, in fact 80 per cent, thought that they were doing their best at school. Most welfare organisations for Surinamers in the Netherlands attack the policy of the Dutch Government with regard to mother tongue education and cultural reinforcement for Surinamese children. The inconsiderable attention the Government pays to the cultural background of Surinamese children in their opinion seriously endangers Surinamese identity and self-concept.
