Valérie Glatigny, education minister in Belgium’s French Community, aims to make Dutch compulsory from the third year of primary school onwards. She announced this on Bel RTL. In French-speaking Belgium, 70 per cent of pupils currently choose English as their second language.
In Brussels, Dutch is already taught from the third year of primary school onwards. Minister Valérie Glatigny wants to extend this policy to the entire French-speaking community in order to give pupils better opportunities on the labour market. She also cites democracy as a reason, “because we live in Belgium”.
In secondary education, pupils would have to ask the school management for an exception if they want to learn a language other than Dutch as their second language. From the second year onwards, a third language is added, either English or German.
However, the French Community is facing a shortage of Dutch teachers. The minister therefore wants to attract people from other sectors by accepting a maximum of seven years’ seniority.
Dutch has been losing popularity in French-speaking Belgium for years. 70 per cent of pupils prefer English as their second language. The reform is due to come into effect on 1 September 2027.
Illustration © PHOTO Nicolas Landemard / Le Pictorium
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