Created in 2014 to work on Minister Marcourt’s vision, Ares (Academy of Research in Higher Education) is a superstructure that contains the representatives of Higher Education in French-speaking Belgium. Although its members were enthusiastic at the start, they have become disenchanted, La Libre Belgique reported on Friday. Ares has 300 members, from Universities, Specialised schools, Unions, Student organisations, Social Promotion establishments, or Higher education art schools. They have to give the government their opinion on anything that concerns higher education.
But historic divides (Universities/specialized schools, departments or political ideals) are far from in the past. “Everyone is trying to get what they want. We can’t advance in the right direction together, by putting individual interests to one side”, says a member of the administration council.
The Unions, students and other bodies criticise the Marcourt cabinet for not doing its job as referee.
“Ares is a good idea, but it’s not working. It could work, but we first have to accept and say that it is not working”, says Alexandre Lodez, representative for the Libre Mosane Specialised School.
(Source: Belga)
