Ghent (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Ghent halts summer academy coordination over strict Flemish funding rules. Last year, 8 groups ran 16 academies for 700 kids. Flanders will announce subsidy decisions next week.
AS VRT News reported, Ghent is no longer responsible for the coordination of the Summer academy because of the Flemish Government’s strict funding rules. Flanders only pays based on how many kids actually attend, not on the planned number. They mentioned that this makes it hard for organisers, who must prepare and hire staff before knowing how many kids will come.
If fewer kids show up, the organisation loses money, even though costs stay the same. The city says this discourages planning. There’s also little money for coordination, which is important when many groups are involved.
They mentioned that without this support, it’s difficult to run summer schools effectively. It’s unclear if any summer schools will be available in Ghent this year; Flanders will announce next week which schools get funding. Families and teachers in Ghent are waiting for this decision.
Will Ghent’s summer academies continue without city support?
After COVID-19, the Flemish government started summer schools to help kids, especially those from poorer families, catch up on what they missed in school. The City of Ghent helped make these summer schools successful. Ghent organised the projects and gave money to the schools and groups involved. Ghent also added its own money when the government didn’t give enough.
The city has been paying for these programs and asking the Flemish Government for more help, but it hasn’t gotten much. Ghent’s officials say the government should give more money because the learning gap is still a problem.
They also point out that not all the money the government set aside for education has been used. Ghent believes Flanders should pay for these programs since they are important for the whole region, especially since Ghent is already contributing a lot to make these programs work.
Ghent teamed up with 8 groups in 2024 to run 16 summer academies for about 700 kids. These academies helped students with schoolwork and social skills during the summer, especially those from less fortunate families. Ghent also offered programs for preschoolers to help them with early learning. However, even then, the city worried about money.
Some organisations stopped participating because of funding issues and the difficulty of running the programs. Ghent says groups can still apply for government money directly, but it’s uncertain if they have.
