The Education Committee of the Parliament of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation adopted on Tuesday, in an emergency procedure, a series of modifications to the decree introducing the new school rhythms, but without changing the holiday calendar, as the opposition wanted.
The changes made urgently aim to fill, with retroactive effect from August 29, a series of “oversights” in the legislation adopted less than a year ago.
In particular, it is a question of adapting the leave periods of the coordinators of the work-study training centres, as well as for the inspection services, or even for the organization of internships in social advancement education.
In opposition, both the PTB and the Engagés denounced on Tuesday the need to make changes to a text that is not even a year old, proof, according to them, that the reform had been approved at the time in precipitation.
“The students came back even more dropped than usual”, regrets this teacher: Les Engagés propose to adjust the new school calendar
The Engagés also suggested taking the opportunity to rearrange the holiday calendar temporarily so that the young people of FWB have at least one week of rest in common with Flanders and the German-speaking community during each holiday period.
According to MP Mathilde Vandorpe, who defended these amendments, the current calendar has a significant impact on families who have children enrolled in two different education systems.
The desynchronization of leave periods between the FWB and Flanders and the German-speaking community considerably complicates the organization of these families. Some 90,000 children would be affected, she said.
When the teachers are not there, the students toast: in January, 700 secondary teachers were missing to replace the absent ones
To remedy this, the Engagés proposed to guarantee at least one week of common vacation for each leave, and this for four years, the time that Flanders and the German-speaking community decide to apply the same school calendar as in FWB, pleaded the Committed.
However, these amendments were all rejected en bloc by the elected representatives of the PS-MR-Ecolo majority.
The proposed decree was approved without modification by the majority. The PTB abstained and the Engagés voted once morest.
Given the urgency, the text should be approved tomorrow/Wednesday already in Parliament’s plenary session.
