Prison plan infuriates parents

Date: 10/04/1997

By Rory Watson

ANGRY parents of pupils at the two overcrowded European schools in Brussels are campaigning against Belgian plans to relieve congestion by opening a new temporary annex in the shadow of a sexual offenders' prison.

As revelations and allegations of paedophilia continue to rock the country, the Belgian government has decided to turn a women's prison next to the planned annex into a special observation centre for those convicted of sexual crimes.

The news has hardened parental opposition to the scheme to transfer a number of children from the European school in Uccle to the planned annex.

They have already complained that the site is too small and its location would cause major traffic problems for the fleet of school buses.

The Belgian authorities, which as hosts must provide the basic infrastructure for the European schools, insist that the former school at Berkendael is the only suitable venue. They plan to renovate it so that it can accommodate the Euro-pupils while much-needed repair work is carried out at Uccle.

But the parents, who are busy lobbying MEPs, European Commissioners and the school's governors, insist that the location is unsuitable for any school.

“It is all very well being given guarantees, but there is a psychological problem. The children will know who is on the other side of the wall. That is not a good atmosphere for a school. The pupils will feel as if they are in prison and that applies to a European or Belgian school,” explained Christina Perret, the secretary of the parents' association administrative organisation.

The conflict is set to come to a head on 22 April when the European schools' governing body, the Conseil Supérieur, meets to decide whether to accept the Belgian offer or to insist that an alternative solution is found.

The meeting comes in the wake of the Conseil Supérieur's decision to withdraw its approval for the Berkendael site, over a year after the Belgian authorities thought they had received the body's blessing.

Explaining its apparent volte-face, the Conseil Supérieur insisted that it had not been informed at the time about the sexual offenders' centre. In addition, it pointed out that its 'approval' had not been voted on and had not been given in writing.

A spokesman for the Belgian authorities confirmed that the decision to establish a centre for sexual offenders was only taken last year, after the government was forced to consider the implications of the spate of paedophile revelations which has engulfed Belgium in recent months.

In yet another twist, the authorities have acknowledged that instead of the temporary Berkendael annex being renovated and ready for its new pupils by September, as originally envisaged, the work is now unlikely to be completed before 1999.

The parents' association believes that a cheaper alternative solution would be to advance the 1999 completion date of the third European school now being built in Brussels.

“We feel it would make much more sense to speed up work on the third school which is now being built. This would enable some pupils to be moved from the existing premises and allow the work to be carried out at Uccle,” said Karl-Heinz Walker, a member of the parents' association.