Saint Joseph's Institute: a school with 19th-century roots

The institute has come a long way since two Sisters of Mary from Leuven arrived in Betekom by stagecoach on the feast day of Saint Joseph in 1857 to set up a new school for the youth of Betekom on the feast day of Saint Joseph. The sisters started a day school for girls, a 'custodial school' and a sewing school. That same year, the congregation built a new house as a convent and school on the current road. After a first failed attempt, a boarding school for girls was opened in 1874. It was mainly aimed at the well-to-do people whose daughters could attend secondary school here. They came to the 'Ecole Moyenne de Betecom' for a 'fine' upbringing. French was the 'official language'. Success did not fail and in the period before the First World War and the interwar period, the boarding school was constantly being built and renovated. In 1937, the monastery was demolished and replaced by the current yellow-coloured brick building in Art Deco style. Only the chapel remained. In 1948, external students were admitted to secondary education for the first time. When in 1954 the Education Inspectorate proposed to teach in Dutch, this was resolutely refused by the headmistress. The democratization of education and the increased prosperity would lead to an increase in the number of courses of study in the course of the next few years. Nowadays the school is part of the successful comprehensive school 'KSO Aarschot-Betekom'.

Jan Rymenams