When it comes to laying the foundations for a prosperous future, few investments are as sure to deliver returns as education. The value of spending today to train tomorrow's workforce is undisputed and Belgium spends big on this front.
The sector is overseen by the language communities and in both Flanders and Wallonia accounts for the largest slice of the the budget. But despite this, schools across the country are struggling, caught in a years-long teacher shortage that shows no sign of improving. For many headteachers, a new academic year comes with the stress of filling vacancies and alternative arrangements made last minute: sometimes grouping classes together, at others drafting in underqualified interim staff.
Little surprise that educational standards, measured by international assessments such as PISA, are slipping. Though Belgium still scores relatively strongly in comparison to many other EU Member States, those working in the domain fear a more dramatic drop in attainment, saying that the profession has lost its appeal.
The outlook is especially dire in the case of new recruits: a third of teachers who started in Flanders last year won't return to classrooms this year. In the French system, graduate teachers hop from school to school, filling in the gaps and deprived the security of a fixed position. The new fracophone education minister has described this uncertainty as a "sword of Damocles", with young staff unsure how long they will remain in one place and unable to establish the long-term bonds with pupils that are key to learning outcomes.
And with the economic imperative for Belgium to rein in its deficit and save €28 billion in the coming years, teaching federations fear being squeezed further.
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