August isn't over and the Belgian summer will have another go at bringing warmth instead of wet (30 °C forecast on Wednesday) but half the country goes back to school today and nationwide the mood is turning from chilling to business.
This is the third year that French-speaking schools have started the academic year a week earlier than Dutch-speaking counterparts, following a reform that distributes holidays more evenly. The change aims to prevent pupils from having such a long summer break that learning regresses. It also means that term dates no longer align, much to the frustration of anyone with children in both language systems, though this concerns comparatively few families.
For pupils, the return to school brings anticipation, excitement, and a heavy-hearted acceptance that the halcyon days of July and August are (almost) over. For everyone else, a new school year fixes our attention on the coming weeks and months. Brussels awakes from its summer lull, people walk with purpose, and rush hour is once again in evidence.
Whether you're in education or not, back to school is a calendar fixture that affects us all. With this in mind, this week we will run a series of articles that look into the particularities of Belgian education (surprise, surprise, it's got its quirks), from the crèche to the lecture theatre and everything in between. No matter your age, every day is a school day so tune in to find out how things work in Belgium.
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