Ransberg kindergarten to close a year early due to lack of students

The Vrije Kleuterschool De Kiem in Ransberg, the sole kindergarten in the Belgian village, will close its doors on June 30, a year ahead of its previously announced schedule. The school's governing body, Sint-Paulus, cited unsustainable costs and a drastic drop in enrollment as the reasons for the early closure.

Initially, the school announced in April that it would cease operations at the end of the following academic year due to rising costs. However, this announcement prompted nearly all parents to enroll their children elsewhere. Consequently, only two kindergarteners remained for the current academic year.

“

Reality has overtaken our planning a bit. There are only 2 kindergarteners left. That is far from ideal: kindergarteners learn through playing together and interacting with peers. The two remaining families also indicated that such a small occupancy is not desirable.

Frederic Vander Elst, the general director of the primary schools, explained the difficult decision. "Reality has overtaken our planning a bit," he stated. "There are only 2 kindergarteners left. That is far from ideal: kindergarteners learn through playing together and interacting with peers. The two remaining families also indicated that such a small occupancy is not desirable."

The school is now focused on supporting the remaining families and its staff. "We are helping them find a new place," Vander Elst said, adding that this could be within their own school group or at another institution. "Our staff will also be given new positions within the other schools of the school group in the coming period."

“

We are helping them find a new place. That can be in one of our schools or somewhere else. Our staff will also be given new positions within the other schools of the school group in the coming period.