“It’s a great step forward and the end of a long combat,” commented Dimitri Fourny, head of the Humanist Christian Centre (cdH) group in Wallonia’s Parliament.
The cdH has been fighting for assistance for students with long commutes for more than 20 years, first at the federal level, where it advocated in vain for tax exemptions, then in the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, FWB, where it was finally included in the government’s regional policy statement when the majority changed in the summer of 2017.
The subsidy will be given to students living in rented accommodation more than an hour away by road from their tertiary institutions. The travel time is calculated on the basis of car drive begun at 8.00 a.m. on a Thursday. To obtain the assistance, the student will need to submit an application to the administration.
According to Dimitry Fourny, the allowance could take effect from the start of the 2019 academic year, since a budget of 10 million euros has been set aside for student accommodation assistance.
Andy Sanchez
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