Flemish schools should organise final exams at the end of the school year, according to Flemish Education Minister Ben Weyts, even if Brussels schools announced that they would not do it because of the new coronavirus (Covid-19).
The exams could take place in the last week of June, and schools are free to do their grading even after 30 June if they want to, Weyts said, adding that the evaluations can be limited.
"Als je nu nieuwe lesinhoud biedt en je zegt bij voorbaat: we gaan geen toetsen meer doen. Dan vrees ik dat jongeren zullen afhaken."
Vlaams minister van Onderwijs @BenWeyts over hoe het dit schooljaar nog verder moet. #terzaketv pic.twitter.com/BnThvjrliC — Terzake (@terzaketv) April 20, 2020
"We are going to focus on the essentials," said Weyts on Terzake. "If you offer new content now, and you say in advance, 'we are not going to do any more tests or exams,' then I'm afraid young people will not be motivated to study," he added.
"You have to reward people for their learning process, so I would concentrate all of that into the last week of June," added Weyts, who had previously angered several teachers' unions with his remarks about extending the school year.
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On Monday, the Brussels School Group announced that final exams would not take place in its 38 primary and 17 secondary schools.
"We want to put maximum effort into teaching," said Karin Struys, communications manager of the group, to Het Nieuwsblad. "We want to work as much as possible to the needs of our students. After all, we have very different levels and we want to offer all our students equal opportunities," she added.
Maïthé Chini
The Brussels Times
