Moving to Belgium – Finding a school

Today, all three language communities have the power to regulate education. 

There are three main education networks:

• community education
• free subsidised education (mainly Catholic)
• and officially subsidised education (organised by local authorities and provinces)

Compulsory education lasts 12 years, from the age of six to 18, and can be preceded by nursery education. 

Just like secondary education, primary education is spread over six years. 

Secondary education contains three stages and begins at the age of 12. 

Each stage covers two academic years. As a rule, the first year of the first stage is the same for everyone. From the second year the choices increase. Secondary education comprises general, technical, artistic and vocational education. 

Finally, higher education may or may not involve going to university. Belgium has compulsory education, not compulsory school attendance.

Thanks to State reform, education has been the responsibility of the Communities since 1 January 1989. At the same time, schools were given greater autonomy. Since Europe's internal borders were opened up (the so-called Single Market, which entered into force on 1 January 1993), European governments are also occupying themselves more with education. In any event, this is already clear in a number of cross-border sectors, such as the emergence of new technologies, appropriate consideration for the children of immigrants, equal opportunities for boys and girls, the equivalence of diplomas, and exchange programmes such as Erasmus, Comenius, Lingua and Leonardo.

Further information can be obtained from the sites of the various communities in Belgium.

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Text last edited on: 08/2006

Source: European Union
© European Communities, 1995-2007
Reproduction is authorised.