From now on, Don Bosco Gent will operate as a single organisation ready to accommodate around 3,000 students for secondary education. As explained by the Deputy Headteacher, Jan Boone, the institution will become a large network for the first time. In view of this significant change, a joint information session will take place in the coming days across all three campuses simultaneously.
In the past, students from the three schools had already taken part in educational exchanges, but now the collaboration between the institutions has reached a higher level. As Jan Boone added, students from the Zwijnaarde campus can now attend STEM courses in Sint-Denijs, whilst students from Sint-Pieters have the opportunity to use the latter’s science laboratories. “It’s a great advantage,” said the Deputy Headteacher. “We can also share expertise and costs, which is why we didn’t hesitate to take this step.”
The aim is to support students as effectively as possible through this collaboration. The campuses are close to one another, and young people can easily switch to courses better suited to their needs.
Of particular interest is the school in Sint-Pieters, located near the station of the same name and long regarded as a pioneering girls’ school. This school opened its doors in 1908 and was, at the time, a school for the French-speaking elite. The girls studied there primarily to become good wives, receiving not only a solid general formation but also special attention to sewing, cooking and home economics, amongst other things. Initially, education was fee-paying; it was not until 1919 that school fees were abolished. In the 1960s, Dutch became the predominant language and the school subsequently transformed into a modern secondary school. In 2003, the last nuns left the building. In 2022, the school became part of the Don Bosco Educational Centre (DBOC), thus becoming a full member of the Don Bosco network in Ghent.
Now, with the girls still wearing the blue uniform that characterised the school, Don Bosco Ghent in Sint-Pieters is preparing to enter this new phase, whilst retaining its identity.
Source: VRTnws
