Leo Collard

Léo Jules Émile Collard ( born July 11, 1902 in Aulnois, Hainaut, Belgium, † 27 January 1981 in Mons, Hainaut ) was a Belgian politician of the Belgian Socialist Party (BSP ). During his tenure as Minister of Education came to the Second school conflict in Belgium.

Life

Collard began his political career in 1932 when he was elected not only as a member of the municipal council of Mons, but also a member of the Chamber of Deputies. There he represented until 1971, the interests of the GNP.

In 1946, he was the first time March-August as Minister of Public Instruction in the government of prime minister Achille Van Acker. But he was also still active in local politics and was mayor from 1953 to 1974 by Mons.

In April 1954 Collard was appointed for public instruction of Prime Minister Van Acker in its fourth government again to the minister, and remained in that post until the end of Van Acker's term of office on 26 June 1958.

As such, he tried in 1955 introduced by the previous Catholic- Christian Democrat government of Jean Van Houtte subsidies for the free funds, technology and normal classes as well as to reduce the salaries of teachers. This led through by the Catholic Church and the Parti Social Chrétien Christelijke Volkspartij (PSC -CVP ) listed protests for a free lesson at the height of the second formation dispute in Belgium to 1884. Besides the construction of numerous public schools was especially the arranged by him requirement that teachers must prove the possession of a diploma, aggravate the dispute at school, as this meant that many non- qualified Catholic priests should leave the teaching profession.

At the end of the conflict, there was ultimately only after the end of the term of office of the Government Van Acker by signing the Education Pact of November 1958 in which both the free and the state education was put on a statutory basis.

After his resignation from the Cabinet, he was in 1959 as a successor of Max Buset Chairman of the Belgian Socialist Party and practiced this party serve until his replacement by Edmond Leburton 1971.

For his political merits Collard was honored on April 5, 1963, the honorary title of Minister of State. The then Federal President Theodor Heuss in 1958 awarded him with the Grand Cross of the Federal Republic of Germany.