The Centre for Living Languages (CLT) in Leuven has expressed concern over the increase in tuition fees for certain adult education programmes, amid fears the new fees will make learning a new language less accessible.
On Friday, regional Education Minister Zuhal Demir (N-VA) revealed that fees for some programmes at adult education centres (CVO) in Flanders will rise.
The increase primarily affects so-called "hobby courses", which the minister argues do not guarantee employment. These include such as exotic cooking, flower arranging – but also other language courses.
Boufflette noted that a fee increase was anticipated as there has been no rise since 2015. However, she did not expect the hike to be so significant—from €1.5 to €4 per hour for all languages except Dutch and Flemish Sign Language.
"The minister categorises language education as a ‘hobby’," said Director Maryse Boufflette. "The question is whether a language course is always a hobby course. The minister overlooks the fact that many students enrol in language programmes to enhance their job prospects."
Boufflette also mentioned that this year, the CLT has over 9,500 students, with 5,700 of them studying a language other than Dutch or Flemish Sign Language.
Of these, 10 percent do so for educational and 30 percent for professional reasons. According to Boufflette, "Multilingualism in our globalised society is not a luxury, but a necessity."
