Tongeren-Borgloon in 1879-1884: the school war by Rombout Nijssen

In the 19th century, the school landscape was legally regulated by the School Law of 1842. In most villages, municipal schools existed by 1879, and here and there a private schoolmaster was still active. The School Law of 1879, which removed religious instruction from the municipal school curriculum, prompted the Belgian bishops to instruct their parish priests to provide an alternative to the official schools in their parishes. Unexpectedly, the Belgian church's school campaign was very successful. In Limburg Catholic free primary schools sprang up like mushrooms. This is the origin of the current primary school landscape, with mixed free schools in most villages. Statistics show that many municipal schools disappeared in 1884, when the School Law of 1879 was abolished, and were replaced by free Catholic schools. Elsewhere, the municipal boys' school continued to exist, and education for girls was taken over by free convent schools. Behind those statistics, a hard battle took place with many personal dramas. De Rijksarchivaris tells us about those fascinating years in the history of the villages of Tongeren-Borgloon. Together, we will examine the intent of the School Law of 1879, the social context in which it was implemented, the reactions of the people in our villages, and the factors that—from a liberal perspective—caused it to fail. The lectures, in collaboration with the Koninklijk Limburgs Geschied and Oudheidkundig Genootschap (KLGOG), take place in the auditorium of the Gallo-Romeins Museum and begin at 7:30 PM.