Summary
Obligation to go to school – compulsory education
All children are obliged to attend school from the school year beginning in the calendar year in which they turn five. Thus, they required to either attend kindergarten on a regular basis or to follow home schooling.
Compulsory schooling ends on the day the pupil turns 18. A pupil who has successfully completed full-time secondary education is also no longer subject to compulsory schooling.
Language of instruction
German is the language of instruction in all schools in the German-speaking Community. There is one exception: In pre-primary and primary schools, there are sections where lessons are taught in French in order to protect the French-speaking minority.
French is the first foreign language. In the French-speaking sectionsin the pre-primary and primary schools, German is the first foreign language.
Free access to education
Article 24 §3 of the Belgian Constitution states that access to education is free of charge until the end of compulsory education.
Free choice of school
In Belgium, there is free school choice. The German-speaking Community distinguishes between three school networks:
- the Free Subsidised Education Network (FSUW)
- the Official Subsidised Education Network (OSUW)
- the Community Education Network (GUW)
The Parliament of the German-speaking Community establishes the legal framework for all three school networks.
The schools of the free subsidised education system are schools that are run by organisations or private persons and subsidised by the German-speaking Community. In the FSUW, there is currently one catholic school board that is responsible for two regular pre-primary and primary schools, one special needs pre-primary and primary schools and five secondary schools.
The schools of the official subsidised education system are schools that are usually run by the municipalities and subsidised by the German-speaking community. In the OSUW, the nine municipalities of the German-speaking Community function as school boards of the pre-primary and primary schools. The vast majority of pre-primary and primary schools in the German-speaking Community are run by the municipalities.
The schools of the community education network are schools which are organised and financed by the German-speaking Community. The GUW is under the direct sponsorship of the Minister of the German-speaking Community responsible for education. The GUW consists of three pre-primary and primary schools, four secondary schools and one special needs school with three primary and one secondary section.
There are also two part-time teaching centres in the German-speaking Community, as well as the possibility to follow a dual apprenticeship and master craftsperson courses at a Centre for Education and Training in SMEs (ZAWM).
Based on the freedom of education guaranteed in Article 24 of the Belgian Constitution, parents have the choice of educating their school-age children in a school or at home. There are clear rules regarding enrolment in and requirements for home schooling. Home schooling is monitored by the school inspectorate.