Deadline for reform of secondary education likely to be extended

The negotiations mainly concern the re-organisation of the study streams in the third through the sixth year of secondary education. The current concept note proposes removing about one-quarter of the existing streams and uniting the remaining options into eight domains, such as science & technics and art & design.

The government also wants to reform the first two years, although its basic structure would remain largely the same. The general purpose is to decrease the number of youngsters repeating a year, leaving school without a diploma or changing study streams multiple times.

The education networks, on the other hand, want to see five domains, with more emphasis on languages. The networks want to keep the third and fourth years more general so that pupils can more easily switch streams.

The reform has been under discussion for many years. Crevits would still like to see the 2018 deadline met, but MP Koen Daniëls (N-VA) and several heads of education networks have said that would be difficult. MP Elisabeth Meuleman of opposition party Groen called the delay “dramatic” and pointed to the insecurity it creates in the education sector.

Photo courtesy Koninklijk Atheneum