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Education in Belgium is regulated and for the larger part financed by one of the three Communities . The national legislator only kept a very few, minimal competences for education as the age for mandatory schooling, and, indirectly, the financing of the communities. All the three communities have a unified school system, with small differences between the different communities. The schools can be divided in three groups (; ): # Schools owned by the communities (''GO! Onderwijs van de Vlaamse gemeenschap''; ''réseau de la Communauté française'') # Subsidized public schools (''officieel gesubsidieerd onderwijs''; ''réseau officiel subventionné''), organized by provinces and municipalities # Subsidized free schools (''vrij gesubsidieerd onderwijs''; ''réseau libre subventionné''), mainly organized by an organization affiliated to the Catholic church The latter is the largest group, both in number of schools and in number of pupils. Education in Belgium is compulsory between the ages of 6 and 18. Private home education is possible, though very rarely applied. In the 2003 PISA-study by the OECD , the Belgian students scored relatively high. The results of the Dutch-speaking students were somewhat better than the scores of the French-speaking students. STAGES OF EDUCATION The different stages of education are the same in all communities:
PRE-SCHOOL Free pre-primary schooling (; ; ) is provided to every child from the age of 2 years 6 months. In most schools the child can start in school as soon as they reach this age, so class size for the youngest children grows during the year. In the Flemish Region , start dates are limited to 6 per year, after a school holiday period and the first school day in February. The aim of the pre-school is to develop, in a playful way, children's Cognitive skills, their capacity to express themselves and communicate, their creativity and independence. There are no formal lessons or assessments, and everything is done in a playful way. Although it is not compulsory, more than 90% of all children in the age category attend pre-school. {Link without Title} Most pre-schools are attached to a primary school. Some schools offer special pre-primary education for children with disabilities or other special needs. PRIMARY SCHOOL Primary school (; ; ) consists of six years and the subjects given are generally the same at all schools. Primary schooling is free and age is the only entrance requirement. Primary education is divided into three cycles (; ):
Education in primary schools is rather traditional: it concentrates on reading, writing and basic mathematics, but also touches already a very broad range of topics (biology, music, religion, history...). Flemish schools in Brussels and some Municipalities Near The Language Border , must offer French lessons starting from the first or the second year. Most other Flemish school offer French education in the third cycle. Primary schools in the French Community must teach a foreign language, which is generally Dutch or English, depending on the school. Primary schools in the German Community have oblidged French lessons. There are also some private schools set up to serve various international communities in Belgium (e.g. children of seafarers or European diplomats), mainly around the larger cities. Some schools offer special primary education for children with disabilities or other special needs. SECONDARY SCHOOL When graduating from primary school around the age of 12, students enter secondary education. Here they have to choose a ''direction'' that they want to follow, depending on their skill level and interests. secondary education is consists of three cycles (; ):
The first cycle provides a broad general basis, with only a few options to choose from (e.g. Latin, additional mathematics, technology). This should enable students to orient themselves in the most suitable way towards the many different ''directions'' available in the second and third stages. The second and third cycle are much more specific in each of the possible directions. Structure in Belgium Secondary school is divided into four general types. Each type consists of a set of different directions that may vary from school to school. The general types are as follows:
Students with disabilities can follow Special Secondary Education (; BuSO; ), of different types. HIGHER EDUCATION Higher education in Belgium is organized by the two main communities, the Flemish Community and the French Community . German Speakers typically enroll in institutions in the French Community or in Germany . Admission to universities and colleges In Belgium anybody with a qualifying diploma of secondary education is free to enroll at any institute of higher education of their choosing. The 3 major exceptions to this rule are those wanting to pursue a degree in: ; Medicine / Dentistry : prospective medicine or dentistry students must take an entrance exam organized by the government. This exam was introduced in the 1990s to control the influx of students. This nowadays is only held in Flanders, not anymore in all French Community Universities. ; Arts : entrance exams to arts programs, which are mainly of a practical nature, are organized by the colleges individually. ; Engineering Sciences : leading to the degree of ); the exam has now been abolished in the Flemish Community but is still organized in the French Community . Cost of higher education The registration fee for any university or college is fixed by the government, and indexed yearly. Depending on whether the student is eligible and applies for financial aid, there are 3 prices: ; Bursary-student : A student who is eligible and has applied for financial aid. (registration fee approximately €80). ; Almost-bursary student : A student who is not eligible for financial aid, but has a family income below €1.286,09. (registration fee approximately €320). ; Non-bursary student : Anyone not eligible for financial aid with an income above €1.286,09. (registration fee approximately €520). The financial aid awarded by the community governments depends on the income of the student's family, and other familial circumstances, but is never more than approximately €3300 per year. Bologna changes Prior to the adoption of the Bologna Process , the Belgian higher education system had the following degrees:
A University education was not considered finished until the licentiate diploma is obtained. Occasionally it was possible to switch specializations after obtaining the candidate diploma. For example, a student with a mathematics candidate diploma was often allowed to start in the third year of computer science class. Sometimes a graduate diploma was also accepted as an equivalent to a candidate diploma (with additional courses if necessary), allowing for 2 or 3 more years of education at a University. Since the adoption of the Bologna Process in most European countries, the higher education system in Belgium follows the Bachelor/Master system: ; Bachelor's Degree : 3 years. Distinction is to be made between the ''professional bachelor'' (Dutch: ''professionele bachelor''), which replaces the former graduate degree and which has a finality, and the ''academic bachelor'' which replaces the candidate degree and which gives access to master's studies. ; Master's Degree : 1 or 2 years. In Belgium, both Universities and College s are allowed to teach Bachelor and Master classes, either professional or academical. After obtaining a Master's degree, talented students can pursue research projects leading to a Doctorate Degree . PhD's are only awarded by Universities. EXTERNAL LINKS
REFERENCES # # Structures of education, vocational training and adult education systems in Europe - 2003 Edition # |
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