Tervuren rejects label ‘child-friendly town’

Posted on by Dafydd ab Iago
©Tervuren+. TERVUREN – Tervuren’s public schools offer a golden opportunity for kids to master Dutch alongside their home languages—a perk not lost on the town’s diverse families. In the 2023-24 school year, roughly 52% of the 787 children in Tervuren’s nursery schools spoke a language other than Dutch at home, highlighting local schools quality despite stiff competition from the British School of Brussels, Montessori, Courtyard, ISF Tervuren, not to mention the European school and Deutsche Schule.

Tervuren’s town council has rejected a proposal to have the commune recognized as ‘child-friendly’. The label, designed to encourage policies that promote a child-friendly environment, failed to gain majority support. According to the responsible alderwoman, achieving the label would require excessive time, resources, and manpower.

Behind the proposal was Elmo Peeters, town councilor for Groen+Vooruit. He’s disappointed about the vote. “What makes this even more regrettable is that the proposal is neither from the left or right. Unfortunately, the majority [Ed. Flemish liberals (OpenVLD), Catholics (CD&V) and nationalists (N-VA)] rejected it simply because it was put forward by the opposition,” said Peeters.

Peeters also points out that the majority on town council consists mainly of older members. Tervuren, though, is the seventh youngest municipality in Flanders based on the proportion of children and youth (0-19 years) to the ‘active’ population (20-64). The process of obtaining the label consists of three phases: conducting an analysis of the current child-friendliness, carrying out an experience study among children and young people, and developing a strategy. The deadline for submitting the portfolio is June 2026, giving the municipality a year and a half to build a strong case.

Alderwoman for Youth Annemie Spaas (N-VA) defended the rejection. “Obtaining such a label, as child-friendly town, is an intensive process that requires a lot of time, resources, and manpower,” she said. While acknowledging the importance of child-friendly policies, she emphasized that other priorities take precedence. “Our focus must remain on concrete and direct actions that truly make a difference for the children and young people in our municipality,” Spaas says.

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Author: Dafydd ab Iago. © Article and photos are licensed © 2024 for https://facebook.com/tervurenplus under the Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International license.

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  • "We know more about Donald Trump's hair growth or ear reconstruction surgery than we do about who will be our next mayor or why the swimming pool has to close. Dafydd has been a journalist for over 25 years, mostly covering politics.

    Dafydd ab Iago has been a journalist for over 25 years, mostly covering European politics. By founding Tervuren+, Dafydd aims to address the gaps in local news reporting with a publication rhythm of 3-4 targeted and researched articles for free per month. "News desert is the term for the lack of local and micro-level news," he says.

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