About 900,000 French-speaking students back to school after shortened summer holidays | Interior

The numerous reforms of recent months and years have caused considerable dissatisfaction in the French-speaking world of education, both about the reforms themselves and about the rhythm of them. That is why the government of Prime Minister Pierre-Yves Jeholet prefers not to antagonize the 120,000 teachers of the French Community nine months before the elections.

In the spring, Education Minister Caroline Désir had announced a number of relaxations to ease the tension.

“Teachers need rest,” confirms Roland Lahaye, the secretary general of the French-speaking Christian education union CSC-Enseignement. “They should be given the opportunity to internalize the approved reforms, without additional new reforms,” he says.

The recent reforms have redesigned the trajectory from the first year of primary education to the third year of secondary education. In order to arrive at a coherent whole, the last three years of secondary education must now be tackled. But the result of the working groups is not expected before February. However, the knots will be cut by a next government.

There are voices in Flanders to follow the example of French-language education and to shorten the summer holidays to, among other things, limit the learning loss of pupils. Flemish Minister of Education Ben Weyts (N-VA) points out that the debate has already taken place and that, according to the Flemish Education Council (Vlor) and the Social-Economic Council of Flanders (SERV), there is currently no support to start the school year differently. to share. “Everyone agrees that learning loss occurs during a holiday, but the question is when that happens,” he explains. “I don’t rule out anything for the future, but before we change anything, there must be some scientific evidence.”