Tervuren has decided not to participate in a Flemish government initiative offering free school meals to children. The issue will be reviewed at the town’s advisory education council on July 1.
Mayor Thomas Geyns (Open VLD, Voor Tervuren) said not every child needs a taxpayer-funded meal. “We need to encourage parental responsibility,” the 29-year-old liberal told his 2,500 Facebook followers. “A teacher should be able to focus on teaching, not serving food,” he added in Het Laatste Nieuws.
The matter falls largely to Alderwoman for Education and Equal Opportunities Annemies Spaas (N-VA). Spaas outlined a more detailed position during the last municipal council meeting. “For now, we are prioritizing a pragmatic and preventive approach through local social policy in collaboration with the schools,” she said.
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According to Spaas, Tervuren schools already have a dedicated fund to intervene when necessary. “If school administrators are faced with parents who, for financial reasons, cannot cover the cost of a healthy meal or lunch, a discreet, ad hoc solution is arranged,” she said. “The school handles it quietly and subtly to avoid stigmatizing families.”
Spaas noted that all three municipal primary schools — in Moorsel, Tervuren, and Vossem — currently offer hot meals at affordable prices. Additional initiatives include fruit programs organized by parent committees and an emphasis on healthy nutrition during lessons.
Under the Flemish initiative, cities and towns would contribute at least €73 for every €97 provided by the regional government, totaling €170 per child or about €0.94 per school day. For Tervuren, with approximately 1,950 children in nursery and primary school, that would mean an annual cost of roughly €142,000 — about the same as the municipality’s budget for the two-day Hee Tervuren music festival, set for July 5-6.
Tervuren, Belgium’s seventh-wealthiest commune based on median income, has less than 6% of its population considered at risk of poverty.
Auteur: Dafydd ab Iago. © Artikel en foto’s zijn gelicentieerd © 2024 voor Tervuren+ onder de Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International-licentie.
