Courses cut at major adult education centre after budget reductions
One of Flanders’ largest adult education centres, KISP, will discontinue several language and leisure courses and close some locations next school year following sharp declines in enrolment. According to reports by Het Nieuwsblad, the decision follows budget cuts introduced last year by Flemish Education minister Zuhal Demir.
The funding changes have significantly increased course fees. A foreign language course that previously cost around 200 euros now costs more than 500 euros this academic year.
Adult education centres across Flanders have already felt the impact. Enrolment in foreign language courses has fallen by 52 per cent, while participation in hobby-style courses has dropped by 47 per cent.
A board member of the non-profit organisation behind KISP said declining enrolment had already been a concern before the policy changes. “The budget cuts were the final blow,” he said. “We could no longer reach the number of students needed to remain profitable.”
Language and hobby courses disappear
As part of the restructuring, several language programmes will disappear next academic year, including Spanish, German, French, English and Italian. Leisure-oriented courses such as cooking, fashion and sewing are also expected to be scrapped.
"The budget cuts were the final blow. We could no longer reach the number of students needed to remain profitable"
KISP operates around 20 locations across East Flanders, Antwerp and Flemish Brabant, but some will now close. The centres in Aalter, Eeklo and Lochristi are expected to shut down, while the site in Destelbergen will reportedly retain only computer courses.
It remains unclear how many students will ultimately be affected by the changes.
The impact on teaching staff is also uncertain. Many instructors teach evening classes alongside other jobs or work at multiple adult education centres, while others also teach programmes that will remain, such as Dutch for speakers of other languages.
#FlandersNewsService | © PHOTO BELPRESS
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