Valérie Glatigny (Francophone liberal MR), education minister of Belgium’s Francophone community, intends to make Dutch compulsory from Year 3 in Francophone schools. In French-speaking Belgium, 70 per cent of pupils currently choose English as their second language.
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Dutch to become compulsory from Year 3 in Belgium's Francophone education
Colin Clapson
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In Brussels, Dutch is already taught from the 3rd year onwards. Glatigny wants to extend this to the entire Francophone community area, i.e. Wallonia except German-speaking schools, and Francophone schools in Brussels. The aim is to give pupils better opportunities on the labour market. She also speaks of democracy as a reason and ‘because we live in Belgium’.
In secondary education, pupils will have to ask the school management for an exemption if they want to learn a language other than Dutch as their second language. From the second year onwards, a third language in addition to French and Dutch is added, either English or German.
The Francophone community currently has a shortage of Dutch teachers. The minister therefore wants to attract people from other sectors by allowing new teachers to take up to seven years' seniority from their previous job with them.
Dutch has been losing popularity in French-speaking schools in Belgium for years. The reform is due to come into effect on 1 September 2027.