Living in Belgium - Educational system

The Right to Education

Since it achieved independence in 1830, freedom of education was laid down as a fundamental right in Belgium. Education plays a vital role in a highly industrialised society. It is often claimed that Belgium’s only raw material is its grey matter. Post-war education policy was therefore explicitly aimed at raising the level of education of the population and at democratising education. The financial barriers to going to school were removed.

Primary and secondary education became free of charge, and an extensive system of social subsidies and study grants was established. Today, Belgium’s level of education is one of the highest in Europe. The percentage of children attending school is one of the highest in Europe.

The Organisation of Education

Through State reform, education became a Community responsibility on 1 January 1989. At the same time, schools were given greater autonomy. The initiative can come from both the government and private individuals. The government brings together municipalities, provinces and Communities.

There are three main education networks: Community education, free subsidised education – primarily Catholic – and official subsidised education – organised by the municipalities and provinces.

Compulsory education

Compulsory education lasts 12 years, from the age of six to 18. Prior to that, children can attend nursery. Primary education is spread over six years, as is secondary education. Secondary education comprises three levels and begins at the age of 12. Each level covers two academic years. The first year of the first level is the same for each pupil. From the second year the choices increase. There are four streams of secondary education: general, technical, arts and vocational.

Higher education consists of university and non-university education.

The influence of Europe

Since the opening-up of the European Community’s internal borders, European governments have also paid increasing attention to education. This concerns in particular certain cross-border issues such as the introduction of new technologies into education, the greater attention paid to immigrant children, equal opportunities for boys and girls, equivalence of diplomas and exchange programmes such as Erasmus, Comenius, Lingua, Leonardo and Grundtvig.

For the record, Erasmus is a European university exchange programme, Comenius promotes mobility and cooperation between schools, Lingua deals with the promotion of language education and learning, Leonardo with the construction of a European lifelong learning area, and Grundtvig, in the context of the Socrates programme, is aimed at adults.

A very few schools in Belgium are private, and are not recognised by the authorities. Such schools are neither financed nor subsidised with public funds. This category includes the European and international schools. Private schools that allow inspections by the public authorities issue qualifications equivalent to those awarded by free and public institutions.

More than two-thirds of Belgians aged between two and 29 years old are in education. This is mainly due to the fact that nearly all children between three and 17 attend school.
Belgium has an 80% literacy rate. All children start primary school and 88% are enrolled in secondary school.

Approximately 24% of Belgians hold only a primary school leaving certificate and the same number hold a lower senior school leaving certificate. 25% hold a higher secondary school certificate, of which 7.6% have been to university.

Vocational training courses

There are three types of training to help find a job:

• Training for new skills – foreign languages, management, IT, secretarial work, specialised manual work and sales
• Training in personal development skills: public speaking, jobseeking courses
• Training courses leading to a formal qualification making it easier to find a new job

Many public and private bodies provide training. Some courses are free, others are very costly. Some lead to a recognised qualification or diploma, others do not. It is therefore advisable to check very carefully whether a course is properly run and really does train to fill a gap in the job market.

Where to get advice

Depending on the region where you live, different public services can provide you with information on the training pathways available:

• Le Forem in Wallonia
• Bruxelles Formation responsible for vocational training for French speakers in the Brussells-capital region (VDAB for Dutch-speaking inhabitants of Brussels);
• The VDAB in Flanders
• The Arbeitsamt (Employment Agency) in German-speaking Belgium

Text last edited on: 05/2009

Source: European Union
© European Communities, 1995-2009
Reproduction is authorised.