Funds earmarked for Dutch-language schools

12 January 2005

BRUSSELS – Making good on a pledge to increase the number of Dutch-speaking regional parliamentarians, Belgium’s Flemish national political parties have won federal funding to establish new language schools in Brussels region.

Specifically, some EUR 27 million euros have been earmarked in the 2005 budget, out of a total budget of EUR 123 million, to set up Dutch-language schools.

The parties set up their own organisation, the Vlaamse Gemeenschapcommissie (VGC), or Flemish community commission, as a counterpart to the Commission communutaire francaise, also known as Cocof.

They are seeking to establish schools that are also social and cultural institutions as well.

However, one figure poses a challenge to their efforts: some 34.9% of children entering Brussels region elementary schools in February 2001 said they come from “homogeen franstalige gezinnen,” or francophone-only, households.

Subject : Belgian news