Belgium (French)

Overview of Education System

In 1989, the Education Department was transferred from the federal government to the French, Flemish, and German communities, which are defined on a linguistic and cultural basis. Federal authorities are responsible for deciding the extent of compulsory education, minimum conditions for obtaining a diploma, and teachers’ pensions, while determining the curricula, skills, and levels of achievement for primary and secondary education lies with the communities. Education is organized by the Wallonia‑Brussels Federation or subsidized by it through grant-aided public education and denominational or nondenominational grant-aided independent education. Provided they comply with laws, decrees, and orders, controlling authorities have fairly extensive autonomy, particularly with regard to methods of education and assessment.

Compulsory schooling starts at age 6 and ends at age 18. From ages 15 to 18, students can attend schooling part time. Preprimary education is well developed and free of charge. Children can enter preschool at age 2½. The vast majority of children regularly attend preschool.

Primary education (Grades 1 to 6) and secondary education (Grades 7 to 12) each last for six years. Continuing the work of primary education, the first stage of secondary education (Grades 7 to 8) aims to construct and develop common basic knowledge and skills among all students. From the third year of secondary education onward (Grades 9 to 12), a distinction is made between two main education streams: secondary “transition” education (general, technical, or arts) leading to higher education, and secondary “qualification” education (technical or arts and vocational) leading to the labor market. After graduating from the “qualificationˮ stream, students who complete an extra year of study become qualified to enter higher education. Part time education is organized in centers for dual education and training (centres d’éducation et de formation en alternance).

At the end of the 1990s, two major decrees for education were promulgated. The first, décret “Missions,” defines four main missions for the educational system of the Wallonia‑Brussels Federation and the means to reach those objectives.^1,a With an emphasis on the development of the individual and issues of equity, the decree strives “to get all students to acquire knowledge and skills which will enable them to engage in lifelong learning and to participate actively to the economic, social and cultural lifeˮ and “to guarantee to all students equal opportunities of social emancipation.ˮ The decree also introduces the important curriculum reform of core skills (les socles de compétences), which has been drawn up for Grades 2, 6, 8, and 12. New programs congruent with those competencies have been gradually introduced following approval by the appropriate commissions.

The second decree, décret “École de la réussite” (Decree for a successful school), is aimed at organizing primary education in two cycles: Cycle 1 spans the last grade of preschool to Grade 2, and Cycle 2 spans Grades 3 to 6.² The decree holds that grade repetition should be avoided within cycles; accordingly, this objective was set for Cycle 1 in 2000 and for Cycle 2 in 2005.

In addition to these reforms, the Wallonia‑Brussels Federation has regulated the enrollment of students in the first stage of secondary education by a 2011 decree. Furthermore, the Declaration on Community Policy states that the future of Wallonia and Brussels depends on the quality of education.³ The 2015 “Pacte d’excellenceˮ aims to meet the challenge of maintaining high educational standards by making the best use of public resources and providing each social catchment area with adequate, complete, and complementary supply.