Foreign parents who refuse to learn Dutch will lose their school bonus in Flanders, as reported on Friday during the negotiations for a new Flemish Government.
Under new discussed rules, parents will not be required to prove fluency in Dutch but must show they are making efforts to learn it. If they fail to do so within a year, they will forfeit their child’s school bonus, which ranges from €22.08 to €66.24. However, the government will redirect this money to the school rather than keeping it.
Additionally, negotiators have decided to implement a smartphone ban in primary schools, confirmed on Friday.
In secondary schools, smartphone use will be strongly discouraged, and research will be conducted into the impact of smartphone use on children’s well-being. These measures were agreed upon earlier in the formation process.
Meanwhile, party leaders are still in discussions and Flemish nationalist formator Matthias Diependaele (N-VA) at the home of the Flemish Government at the Place des Martyrs in Brussels.
Other negotiators are gradually arriving to prepare for the plenary session needed to finalise the coalition agreement. Once the agreement is in place, the leaders will reconvene to discuss the distribution of responsibilities within the government.
