Teachers and children in Belgium's Dutch-speaking education system are enjoying the Easter holidays, but many French-speaking schools will also remain closed this week, as teachers are striking against proposed government reforms.
The "rotating" strike started on Monday in the provinces of Liège and Luxembourg. On Tuesday, schools in the Brussels-Capital Region, as well as the provinces of Namur and Walloon Brabant, will remain closed as teachers take to the streets: a demonstration will take place in front of the government headquarters in Brussels.
"The situation is worse than a malaise," Luc Toussaint, chair of the French-speaking socialist education union, told Belga News Agency.
Additionally, the unions have decided to publish a "gazette" aimed at the public. Several thousand copies, which include testimonies from teachers sharing the realities of their profession, will be distributed on Wednesday in front of schools, in markets, and at key locations in Wallonia and Brussels.
The strike denounces the cost-saving measures decided in vocational education and the reform of teacher status.
Budget cuts
As in Flanders, education in French-speaking Belgium is struggling with a large teacher shortage, while the quality of education is under severe pressure. In recent international surveys, the French Community (Wallonia-Brussels Federation) usually ranks among the lowest in Europe.
In combination with the budget deficit, French-speaking Education Minister Valérie Glatigny (MR) of the centre-right MR-Les Engagés government announced measures to reform the education system, but the unions are not in favour.
As part of these measures, the seventh year in technical and vocational education will be scrapped, or severely curtailed – primarily for pedagogical (and cost-cutting) reasons, according to Glatigny.
An empty classroom due to a strike by teachers on Monday 13 January 2025. Credit: Belga/ Dirk Waem
"But these measures are for savings purposes," the secretary of the socialist education union Jorre Dewitte told VRT. "On top of that, there will also be a 3% cut in the logistical framework, which will lead to larger classes."
To make teaching more attractive as a profession, Glatigny wants to give newly-graduated teachers a fixed contract and higher pay immediately, rather than a permanent appointment later in their career.
Now, many young teachers swiftly leave the teaching profession because they are often only allowed short replacements or have to make way for a permanent appointee. The minister wants to give them perspective with an open-ended contract. "We want to stabilise the situation of young teachers. That is more important to me than ending permanent contracts."
Pupils are not merchandise
Unions fear that this will make education too much like the "private sector," where the aim is "to make a profit on merchandise and services," said Dewitte. "We fear that pupils will then start to be regarded as merchandise."
"We agree with the government's conclusions that quality must improve and that there are too few teachers. But the measures proposed by the minister go too far and offer no answers," he said, stressing that investing in better school buildings, smaller classes and a load reduction plan would do much more to attract teachers.
Meanwhile, Glatigny regrets that students will miss out on classes during the strike. "I understand that there are concerns, but the reforms are really needed." She added that she is "open to further dialogue."
