On Monday, approximately 900,000 students in Belgium's French-speaking Community returned to school, marking the commencement of the academic year after a notably
shortened summer holiday. This adjustment in the academic calendar has resulted from recent reforms and has reduced the summer vacation in the southern region to a duration of seven weeks, as opposed to the two-month holiday retained by Flanders.
In recent months and years, a series of educational reforms has elicited widespread dissatisfaction within the French-speaking education sector. Criticisms have revolved around both the nature of the reforms and the pace of their implementation. As the country approaches the 9 June parliamentary elections, no significant legislative actions pertaining to education are anticipated within the next nine months.
Roland Lahaye, the secretary-general of the French-speaking Christian education union CSC-Enseignement, emphasized the necessity for teachers to have periods of rest. Lahaye asserted that educators should be granted the opportunity to assimilate the approved reforms without being burdened by additional new changes.
Potential for Similar Measures in Flanders
Amid discussions, there have been suggestions for Flanders to consider adopting a similar approach by shortening summer holidays. The aim is to mitigate learning setbacks among students, among other considerations. Flemish Education Minister Ben Weyts, representing the N-VA (Flemish nationalists) party, noted that the topic has already been debated. He mentioned that both the Flemish Education Council and the Social and Economic Council of Flanders have not indicated support for modifying the existing school calendar.
Weyts acknowledged the consensus that learning losses can occur during extended breaks, but he emphasized the importance of determining the optimal timing for such losses. While he doesn't dismiss the possibility of future changes, he stressed the need for scientific evidence before implementing any alterations. Photo by Mx. Granger, Wikimedia commons.