Fewer students at Catholic schools

31 August 2007

BRUSSELS –The Flemish Secretary for Catholic Education (VSKO) expects that 3,500 fewer students will be enrolled in Catholic primary and secondary schools.

The number of preschoolers will increase by 1,500. These figures have emerged from the calculations the VSKO has made with respect to the school population expected on 1 September.

As usual the VSKO has made prognoses on the eve of the start of the new school year. The prognoses for the 2007-2008 school year are based on birth figures.

For the coming school year the Flemish region must take into account a drop in the school population of about 1 percent in primary education and a quarter of a percentage point in secondary education. The number of preschoolers is expected to rise by more than 1 percent.

Subject: Belgian news