2022
March update :
02/12/2021 The decree modifying the decree of 7 November 2013 defining the landscape of higher education and the academic organisation of studies ("Landscape decree") was passed on 02/12/2021. This reform restructures the pathway of students, accompanying them in their success and towards obtaining a degree. The reform structures in a clearer way the pathway of the students, with a specific attention paid to the acquisition of the 60 ECTS of Bac1 which must be passed in priority. It allows students to acquire a solid pedagogical foundation from the very beginning of their studies, and to be able to remedy any shortcomings early on. The reform also makes it possible to make the conditions of financeability (the right to re-enrol in an institution) clearer. Students will have five years to obtain their bachelor's degree. These structural changes are accompanied by increased support for success, targeted at students who are experiencing difficulties, in order to guide them towards success and graduation. The annual budget dedicated to support for success has been increased from 83 million euros to 89 million euros. In addition, before the beginning of each academic year, institutions will have to draw up a strategic success support plan listing the remedial activities they are putting in place and the financial resources that will be allocated to them. Particular attention should be paid to students who have difficulties in passing the first 60 ECTS of their Bachelor's degree.
28/10/2021 The Government of the French Community adopted in fourth and final reading the draft decree reforming the initial training of teachers. The objective of this reform is to contribute to the improvement of our educational system, which requires a high level of training for future teachers. As already foreseen in the decree of February 2019 (currently under moratorium), the training of all core teachers will be increased from 3 to 4 years, and future teachers will be trained via a co-diploma between universities, colleges and art schools. The text also specifies the generic areas of competence to be developed by all future French-speaking teachers, regardless of the course of study, in order to meet the needs of the implementation of the Pact for Excellence in Teaching. In addition, students will henceforth be required to undertake a long-term placement during the school/academic year. It is crucial to allow future teachers a gradual, supervised and accompanied entry into their profession. This internship will enable the student, through hours of internship in the classroom, but also, for example, in the context of collaborative work within the educational team of the internship institution, to move towards autonomy and to prepare as well as possible the beginning of his or her teaching career.
14/10/2021 The Government of the French Community adopted in third reading a draft decree containing structural measures aimed at widening the number of students eligible for a grant. These measures make it possible to broaden the target audience of existing support measures and to counter the negative socio-economic impact of the health crisis on students.
2021
September update :
02/09/2021 As of the beginning of this academic year, an inter-university training course dedicated to children's rights will be offered in the French Community : a Master's degree in children's rights. Thus, an important measure of the Action Plan on the Rights of the Child is being implemented.
02/09/2021 The Government of the French Community adopted in third reading the preliminary draft decree reforming the initial training of teachers. The text now introduces a long-term internship for future teachers - intended to promote their integration into their professional environment. This internship will enable students to combine practice in schools with reflective feedback from professional trainers and teachers.
02/09/2021 Reform of the Landscape Decree : better structuring of the students' pathway to promote their success. The Government of the French Community approved in second reading the draft decree modifying the decree of 7 November 2013 defining the landscape of higher education and the academic organisation of studies ("Décret Paysage"). The adopted reform supports students, accompanies them in their success and towards obtaining a degree. The structural elements of the reform are maintained, namely :
- Better structuring of the beginning of the students' course ;
- Clearer conditions of financeability (right to re-enrol in an institution)
- Strengthen success support activities.
20/05/2021 Higher education: the number of beneficiaries of study allowances will be increased to facilitate access to higher education. The Government of the French Community adopted in first reading conjunctural and structural measures aimed at increasing the number of beneficiaries and simplifying the system of study allowances. For the academic year 2021/2022, the income ceiling to benefit from a lump sum will exceptionally increase from 150% to 300%.
30/04/2021 On the proposal of the Minister of Higher Education, the Government of the French Community approved, on first reading, the draft reform of the landscape decree. The aim is to "correct some perverse effects of this decree", starting with the extension of the average length of studies linked to the possibility for students to carry over credits not passed from year to year. In order to move on to the next year, first-year baccalaureate students will now have to pass 60 credits. If the student passes between 45 and 59 credits, he or she will have to pass the credits not passed first, but will be able to carry forward credits from the next year. If the student passes between 30 and 44 credits, he/she will remain enrolled in his/her year and will have to register the credits not acquired in his/her yearly programme. With the agreement of the jury, he/she may anticipate some credits provided he/she has the necessary prerequisites. A student who passes less than 30 credits will automatically repeat the year and will have to follow remedial activities, and a student who does not pass any credits will have to reorient himself/herself. Another major change in the draft decree is that students will have to pass their baccalaureate in a maximum of 5 years. They will have two years to pass the 60 credits of block 1 and four years to reach 120 credits of their curriculum. Students who do not meet these conditions will lose the possibility of being financed by the French Community. The student who is reoriented will however benefit, during the cycle, from an additional year in terms of financeability, which will bring the total number of years to pass a bachelor's degree to a maximum of 6 years. This reform of the landscape decree will make it possible to limit the duration of studies but also to make the rules of financeability more readable. Furthermore, the reform of the landscape decree will require higher education institutions to establish, before the beginning of each academic year, a 'success support plan' listing the remedial activities they are putting in place.
29/04/2021 The Government of the French Community adopted in second reading the preliminary draft decree reforming the initial training of teachers. The objective of the reform is to contribute to the improvement of our educational system, which requires a high level of training for future teachers. An important new feature is that in the final year, students will be able to start working as student teachers. The aim is to facilitate the entry into the profession for young teachers. In addition, and as already provided for in the decree of February 2019, the training of all core teachers will be increased from 3 to 4 years. In addition, future teachers will now be trained through collaboration between colleges and universities. The axes of the reform are :
- Common competences for all French-speaking teachers ;
- Practical learning to support entry into the profession ;
- A dialogue between higher education and compulsory education ;
- A financially sustainable reform.
22/4/2021 The Government of the French Community approved in first reading a preliminary draft decree allowing the organisation, from the beginning of the school year in September 2021, of a Master's degree specifically dedicated to dance. Unprecedented in French-speaking Belgium and eagerly awaited by the sector, this course will offer future choreographers, dancers, stage designers and other dance-related specialities a dedicated training framework offering cutting-edge expertise in the field. This postgraduate course will complement the various artistic courses already in existence. The Master in Dance and Choreographic Practices will be organised on the basis of a partnership between several higher education institutions.
2020
September update :
March update :
05/03/2020 The very first Bachelor's degree exclusively in English will be launched from the 2020-2021 academic year: the Government adopted a decree authorising the organisation of a Bachelor's degree exclusively in English, entitled "Bachelor of science in business engineering" at the Université Saint-Louis Bruxelles, and the Bachelor's degree entitled " Bachelor in Computer Science" for all university institutions organising this course.