Robinpas for vulnerable students too little known

The Robinpas is a project of the Flemish Government. With this initiative, the government wants to prevent pupils from underprivileged families from starting the school year without their textbooks or other school materials. Minister of Education, Ben Weyts, aimed at reaching 20,000 families at the launch.

Target not achieved

That target has not been achieved. Only 9,000 Robin Passes have been distributed so far. In addition, only 1,200 passes have been used effectively. In West Flanders, 2,832 families received a pass. This makes West Flanders the province with the highest number of Robinpasses. This is apparent from figures requested by Flemish Member of Parliament Loes Vandromme.

For the time being, the Robinpas is not finding its way to the target group. According to Vandromme, the results show that the initiative is insufficiently known among schools and families.

Nevertheless, the MSKA Roeselare has handed out 200 of those passes this school year. This is essential for some families, since, for example, the suitcase to start a hairdressing training already costs 400 euros.