15 June 2005

Fraud claims against problem school

Flemish newspaper ‘Het Laatste Nieuws’ headlined with renewed controversy at the Madeleine Jacquemotte school in Brussels. It said the former headmaster fraudulently inflated the number of registered students to gain more government funding. Of the 650 registered students, about 200 never actually attended lessons. The fraud was discovered when a new headmaster was appointed following several incidents with aggressive students. About 20 of the school’s 70 teachers will be dismissed from the school to better equate the teacher-student ratio.

Dutch takeover of temping agency Solvus

The largest Belgian temping agency, Solvus, will be taken over by its Dutch rival United Services Group (USG). The new company, to be called USG People, will become the second biggest temporary employment agency in the Benelux region, newspaper ‘De Standaard’ reported. The USG offer is about EUR 585 million. The merger will result in annual savings of EUR 30 million from 2007. Of the new company’s 7,700 workers, it is not yet certain how many will be made redundant. USG People will have a turnover of EUR 2.8 million. The new company will take on the four largest world players, Adecco, Manpower, Vedior and Randstad.

Obese patients unite

Turning its attention to the plight of people with weight problems, French-language newspaper La Dernière Heure carried a report about the new Belgian Association of Obese Patients. In an interview with founding chairman Jean-Paul Allonsius, who weighs 140kg, the newspaper outlined the serious health problems faced by overweight people. It also paid attention to the goals of the new association, located at www.boldnet.be. Bold hopes to gain government recognition of obesity as an illness to combat stigmatisation, stimulate information exchange and promote academic knowledge.

Teen held over toddler’s rape

A 17-year-old boy babysitting a three-year-old girl was arrested on Sunday night for sexually abusing the toddler, daily broadsheet ‘Het Nieuwsblad’ reported. When the parents of the girl had gone out, the man allegedly kissed the three-year-old and raped her. The girl later told her parents she had been kissed and medical examinations have indicated she was sexually abused. The 17-year-old youth has reportedly confessed, but it is not known if the crime was a one-off offence. The boy has been remanded in custody.

Subject: Belgian news