New facilitator appointed to Brussels schools

The Brussels-Capital Region has appointed a school facilitator, economist Julie Lumen, whose task is to co-ordinate the development of extra places in Brussels schools. Lumen will work for the Agency for Territorial Development (ATO) and will assist both the Dutch- and the French-speaking networks in carrying out new projects.

The new facilitator will also streamline the information exchange between projects and chair a steering group. By bringing all actors together, she will ensure that projects are better adapted to each other.

Lumen was part of former Brussels minister-president Charles Picqué’s cabinet, where she participated in the development of the region’s first educational plan. The plan created thousands of new available spots in schools.

With the new measures, current minister-president Rudi Vervoort wants to find places for the expected 42,000 more children in Brussels’ system, based on population growth estimates for the coming years. The region has also decreased the period for approval of permits for new schools from 195 days to a maximum of 52 days.

photo: Hero Images/Corbis