Private building partners not keen on school use after hours
As private partners look to save money by limiting access to buildings after school hours, the government is looking to economise with precisely the opposite approach
Do you think that private-sector partners should be allowed to decide on the use of the new schools they fund?
Different priorities
Scholen van Morgen, or Schools of Tomorrow, launched in 2006, is a consortium of the government of Flanders and private partners BNP Paribas Fortis and AG Real Estate. The private partners finance the design, construction and maintenance of the schools for 30 years, during which time the schools pay the partnership a usage fee. After 30 years, schools own their buildings.
According to Groen, building supervisor AG Real Estate and several subcontractors are discouraging the use of buildings after hours because of wear and tear. The private partners are mostly interested in minimising their costs, stated Groen.
Schools have to file a request to AG Real Estate and the contractor for each extra activity. The private partners then examines the case, calculate the damage risk and draw up an extra invoice for the school to pay.
Groen member of the Flemish parliament Elisabeth Meuleman pointed out that the government is encouraging the use of school infrastructure for community initiatives because of economic advantages. Meuleman also noted that schools are partially funded by taxpayers, so local communities should have access to them. Flemish education minister Hilde Crevits confirmed her belief in a broader use for schools.
Photo courtesy Het Nieuwsblad
Educational system
million school-going children in 2013
million euros Flemish education budget for new school infrastructures in 2013
percent of boys leaving secondary school without a diploma
- Education in Flanders
- Secondary education reform
- European Encyclopaedia on National Education Systems
