While secondary education for both Dutch and French-speaking schools will resume 100% face-to-face instruction from 10 May, students at universities and colleges will remain mostly virtual.
The Code Orange currently in force - which dictates a simultaneous presence of a maximum of 20% of students - will remain in place until the end of June, the Minister for Higher Education, Valérie Glatigny (MR), confirmed on Wednesday.
“The situation is different between compulsory education and higher education, since the courses will end very soon and the examination session will generally start in mid-May,” the minister said.
“From the consultations with the actors, it appears that an adaptation of the timetable would be very difficult to organise, if the consultation committee were to consider authorising an increase in the percentage of face-to-face teaching,” Glatigny said.
The June examination session will also be held under Code Orange.
The timetable and examination arrangements will be set by the institutions on the basis of the educational priorities they determine.
Under Code Orange, examinations may be held in person, provided that a strict protocol is followed. Students must wear masks and socially distance from one another by at least 1.5 metres.
Minister Glatigny is now aiming for a 100% face-to-face start to higher education by September 2021.
The Brussels Times
