A brand-new school year starts today in the Dutch-language education sector. More than 1.2 million children are heading to school today with their school bags and smiles and/or tears.
It is not only a special day for children and their parents and grandparents, but also for thousands of teachers across Flanders. Francophone schools started last week.
From this school year onwards, smartphones will be banned in classrooms in Flanders. Parents of truant children risk losing their school allowance more quickly and thousands of pupils will receive extra Dutch language lessons to help them catch up on their language skills.
What are the challenges facing our education system? VRT NEWS education specialist Brigitte Vermeersch sees the teacher shortage as the main issue. ‘There is a shortage of more than 3,700 teachers, and that is weighing heavily on schools. The quality of education is also suffering as a result.’
Flemish education minister Zuhal Demir (Flemish nationalist) will meet with representatives of the education networks and unions this month to come up with a “teacher career plan”. Vermeersch: ‘Demir's three predecessors were unable to reach an agreement. The De Wever government's pension reforms could be a potential spoiler.’
Another major challenge is special education. ‘If no action is taken, there will be a shortage of almost 6,000 places in five years' time. Demir wants to make schools accessible to everyone, where pupils with specific needs are well supported in mainstream education.’