Flanders’ education minister is allocating more than €100 million extra to the region’s university-colleges to keep up with the increasing number of students – but expects more efficiency in return
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Extra €116 million for university-colleges to keep up with number of students
Lisa Bradshaw
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Flemish education minister Zuhal Demir (N-VA) has announced a €116 million investment in associate degree programmes at university-colleges over the next four years. The extra funding is in response to a reform in the secondary school system that is seeing more students enrol in one- or two-year programmes at university-colleges.
Workforce-oriented secondary schools in Flanders offer a “seventh year”, during which graduating pupils can follow specialised training in their chosen occupation. Previously, this was only offered at secondary schools, but now university-colleges are also required to offer this additional training. Many pupils are now choosing to enrol in this one- or two-year training at university-colleges.
‘Enormous challenges’
“This is posing enormous challenges to the institutions,” said Eric Vermeylen, secretary-general of the Board of University-Colleges earlier this month. “Financing has not increased along with the number of students, and it’s becoming impossible to continue supporting this with a proper framework.”
Demir agrees and will inject an extra €116 million on top of the regular funding for university-colleges. They’ll have to wait for the bulk of it – next year, only €15.5 million will be distributed, followed by €33.5 million every year from 2027-2029.
Flanders is no bigger than a handkerchief, yet we are sometimes paying for the same course to be given a stone’s throw from each other
Minister Zuhal Demir
“For many young people who followed vocational training in secondary school, the associate degree programs offer a new perspective,” says Demir. “Students can not only obtain a higher education diploma, but also immediately move on to work or to a bachelor degree. That’s the essence of opportunity education – close to the workplace, with the prospect of employment.”
But Demir has conditions for the extra funding: University-colleges have to more efficiently organise these associate programmes. “Flanders is no bigger than a handkerchief, but today we are sometimes paying for the same course to be given a stone’s throw from each other,” she says. “It’s illogical, and we need to address it.”
She plans to meet with the Board of the University-Colleges to change this system. If talks do not lead to action, she says, “we will have to impose this from Brussels.”