In French-speaking education in Belgium, the school year has been thoroughly reformed, including a shorter summer vacation. The SERV, which unites Flemish employers and trade unions, does not oppose a possible reorganisation in Flemish education, but does not think it is the right time as reported by BRUZZ.
The French community government decided to shorten the summer holidays. The 2022-2023 school year will start on August 29, 2022 and end on July 7, 2023. In addition, the school year will be divided into blocks of seven weeks of lessons, alternating with two weeks of vacation.
The reform ensures that the holiday periods no longer coincide with those in Dutch-language education. In Brussels, this would be the case within the same city.
In Flanders, Minister of Education Ben Weyts (N-VA) opened the door last year for a shorter summer vacation. He asked for advice from the educational field, the social partners and parents. The social partners, united in the Social and Economic Council of Flanders (SERV), have now prepared their advice.
Different scenarios
The SERV does not put forward a preferred solution in its advice, but lists various scenarios with advantages and disadvantages. She sees reasons to possibly change something. “The corona pandemic has clearly shown that long periods without education have an adverse effect on learning outcomes, on student well-being and on equal educational opportunities.”
The ultimate conclusion, however, is that the social partners will not close the door on an adjustment of the school calendar, but they do believe that more time and debate is needed. The consequences for companies also need to be better mapped out. Hasty decisions are undesirable, it sounds.
“Reorganising the school year is a complex matter,” says SERV chairman Hans Maertens. “It’s not just about our children’s learning opportunities, but also about the attractiveness of the teaching profession, about giving parents the opportunity to do paid work, about the impact on production and services of our companies, etc. All these pieces of the puzzle must be considered carefully. to gain sufficient support for such a far-reaching reform.”
