Hasselt (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – The Sint-Quintinus school board in Hasselt affirms it consulted sufficiently with teachers, parents, and pupils amid criticism over the planned mega merger.
The Careful Governance Commission holds this view. About 100 participants accused the board of fraudulent participation in December.
Emotions are still being evoked by the amalgamation of Kindsheid Jesu in Kiewit, Virga Jessecollege, Belgium, in the city center, and Hast at the station. About 100 educators, parents, and a few students attended the Committee for Careful Governance in December.
The parties claimed that the period allotted for their responses was too short and that they had not been given adequate input into the merger plans. However, the committee has now decided that the board has taken enough action to notify everyone and that the objections are baseless.
By 2030, the Sint-Quintinus school community hopes to combine three Hasselt schools. These are Hast, Virga Jesse College, and Kindsheid Jesu. From now on, the first two would be middle school. The current Hast’s campus is likely where the higher years would be grouped.
The school group hopes to reduce dropout rates and improve the variety of study programs. However, a lot of parents, students, and teachers are worried because they believe that 3,500 students would be taught in an inadequate amount of room.
They also have a lot of concerns regarding educational quality and mobility.
The administration is hopeful that the schools will once again be peaceful.
“We hope that we can now continue to build on the future in peace,”
Responds Tom Cox, coordinating director at the Sint-Quintinus school community.
“I think this is good for everyone. First of all, we will wish everyone a good summer, so that we can start again in September with good courage,”
it continues.
The intention now is to continue consultation with all teachers, students and parents.
“We understand that some people have difficulty with the changes. We want to listen carefully to all needs, concerns and questions.”
A judgment made by the Careful Governance Committee may be appealed, however it is unclear at this time if the instructors intend to pursue this option.
How might the perceived bogus participation affect future school decisions in Hasselt?
It may be more difficult to secure real community support for next projects if stakeholders—teachers, students, and parents—feel their opinions were disregarded or exploited.
Stakeholder engagement in subsequent consultations may decline as a result of disillusionment with perceived tokenistic consultation, which could diminish the caliber of stakeholder input and possibly lead to less informed judgments.
Previous complaints regarding fraudulent participation could strengthen opposition to upcoming plans, resulting in protracted arguments, court cases, or public demonstrations that make decision-making more difficult and time-consuming.
Demands for more open, inclusive, and well recorded consultation procedures may be made by the board in an effort to restore its reputation and guarantee adherence to governance guidelines.
