This chapter provides a thematic and chronological overview of national reforms and policy developments since 2014.
The introduction of the chapter describes the overall education strategy and the key objectives across the whole education system. It also looks at how the education reform process is organised and who are the main actors in the decision-making process.
The section on ongoing reforms and policy developments groups reforms in the following broad thematic areas that largely correspond to education levels: Early childhood education and care; School education; VET and Adult learning; Higher education; and Transversal skills and Employability. Inside each thematic area, reforms are organised chronologically. The most recent reforms are described first.
Finally the section on the European perspective provides links to European strategies in which education and training have a prominent role.
Overall national educational strategy and key objectives
The most proposed, discussed, adopted, launched and implemented reforms can be found in the Regional development concept (REK) of the German-speaking Community. From 2008 to 2010, the German-speaking Community has edited a regional development concept, which mission statement is “Ostbelgien live 2025”. This regional development concept includes projects in various fields, which will be completed by 2025. It includes a strategic plan to improve the quality of education.
Overview of the education reform process and drivers
The German-speaking Community has several main projects in the field of education:
- overall vision (gesamtvision) : making education fit for the future
- integration an diversity
- promoting language education and multilingualism
- improving educational opportunities
- future of special needs education in regular schools
- teachers of tomorrow
- shaping modern places of learning
- preparing for real life
For more information please have a look at : http://www.ostbelgienlive.be/PortalData/2/Resources/downloads/rek/Regionales_Entwicklungskonzept_Band_5_REK_III.pdf
Some details about our project "Gesamtvision"
The government of the German-speaking Community has embarked on the large scale exercise “Gesamtvision Bildung”. The aim of “Gesamtvision Bildung” is to improve educational opportunities and the performance of the education system as well as to ensure educational equity in the long term by adapting to the cultural, economic and technological challenges and opportunities of the 21st century. Based on a comprehensive diagnosis, the current and future fields of action of the education system will be identified by the end of 2021. Based on a solid inventory, the strategic goals will be defined and prioritised. All findings will flow until end of 2022 into an implementation plan that will show the perspectives for the education system until 2030 and beyond. In order to supplement the opinion survey conducted in 2019 with a scientific analysis of school resources, the Government of the German-speaking Community signed a cooperation agreement with the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in December 2020. By December 2021, the OECD will conduct a scientific analysis of the East Belgian school system. Using objective and international comparative data, a team of experts will examine how equal opportunities the school system in the German-speaking Community is and what effect the resources used have. The pandemic-related developments and needs as well as the findings from the first stage of the diagnostic phase are taken into account here. The results of the analysis, in combination with the findings from the intensive participation process, will form a solid basis for the development of an overall vision for education in the German-speaking community.
COVID 19 crisis
All information and measures regarding the coronavirus crisis can be found with the link provided here under :
Coronavirus Ostbelgien (BE de) : http://www.ostbelgienbildung.be/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-6737/