According to the ‘’LOP Brussel’’ organisation (a local forum for Flemish language education), 1,291 pupils whose parents had hoped they would start at Dutch-speaking nursery or primary school in Brussels have not been able to register for the 2014-2015 school year. An unspecified number will most likely have had to switch to French language education or to Flemish schools (outside the capital), but hundreds more are having to stay at home, revealed LOP Brussel on Monday. The lack of available places is especially dramatic at nursery school level. The issue is different for primary school pupils, for whom school is mandatory. ‘’This is the first time we’ve come up against this problem’’, says the office of Guy Vanhengel, chairman of the Flemish Community Commission (Education and Budget). ‘’We will not impose sanctions of course, but we will be helping to find a solution.’’
Last week, Guy Vanhengel announced that Dutch-speaking education in and around Brussels had seen an increase of 3% compared to 2013, reaching 42,129 pupils in total (in nursery, primary and secondary). Vanhengel plans to invest at primary school level (+4.1% with 16,415 pupils) in order to create 3,000 new places in the coming 5 years.
(Source: Belga)
