The Flemish Government has decided that people from abroad that intend to come and live in Flanders will be able to take Dutch language courses in their countries of origin. The news that courses that will enable future newcomers to learn our language before coming here appears in Friday’s editions of the dailies ‘Het Laatste Nieuws’ and ‘De Morgen’. The courses will be organised and financed by the Flemish authorities.
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Future new arrivals will be able to take Dutch language courses before arriving in Flanders
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Just before Christmas the Flemish Government decided that Dutch language and integration courses should be offered to future newcomers in their countries of origin. The integration courses that teach newcomers about society in Flanders will be taught in the future newcomer's mother tongue.
Speaking about the decision to offer Dutch courses to future newcomers, the Flemish Education Minister Ben Weyts (nationalist) said "The sooner newcomers start learning Dutch, the sooner they will be able to succeed here. The Dutch courses will be open to people from all countries of origin, we won't exclude anyone."
Instructors from the Flemish Agency for Integration will also be able to teach distance-learning courses on life in Belgium and Flanders. The 60-hour course has been available in digital form since the start of coronavirus pandemic.
What is new is that the courses aimed at people that have not yet arrived here will be taught in their mother tongue and not in Dutch. The social integration courses given to newcomers here in Flanders are taught in Dutch. The Flemish Minister responsible for Integration Minister Gwendolyn Rutten (liberal) has already planned a pilot project that will offer the social integration course in Arabic.