Steady rise in enrollment at Brussels' Dutch-language schools

The number of students in Brussels’ Dutch-language schools has reached an all-time high, with nearly 41,000 students in nursery, primary and secondary education. The education system is growing much faster than its French-speaking counterpart, which, while increasing in general, is seeing a reduction in its growth rate.

The figures are based on a report by the Flemish Community Commission (VGC), a government body that represents the interests of the Flemish region in the capital. The record number of students in Dutch-language schools points to a rise of 2.15% compared to last year. The increase is spread quite evenly across all levels of education; only the special education system decreased – by 3.3%, or 48 students.

Part of the reason for the rising numbers is the population increase in the Brussels-Capital Region in general. French-speaking education is also seeing a rise in registrations, but the trend is less extreme. According to sociologist Dirk Jacobs of the Free University of Brussels (ULB), the other reason is the perception of better quality in Dutch-speaking schools.

What is also notable about the figures is that most pupils spend their entire education in the Dutch-speaking system. More than 90% of children went from a Dutch-speaking nursery school to a primary school in the same network. Only 2.1% switched to a French-speaking school. The same trend can be seen in the transition from primary to secondary schools.

It’s a drastic change from previous figures; in 2000, 7.3% of nursery school children were switched to a French-speaking school. In the same year, 6% of primary school students went to the other language network. “But most parents today feel that Dutch-speaking education provides the best guarantee of a bilingual or trilingual education,” Jacobs told brusselnieuws.be. “In the past, parents often compromised by splitting their children’s school careers among the two education networks. This mentality is disappearing.”