The directors of official basic schools have written a letter to the Minister of Education in the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, expressing their concerns regarding the difficulties their corporation is facing. They claim that the tension has reached its breaking point, and are demanding a restoration of trust and a long-term moratorium on future reforms. They want pedagogical inspectors, delegates to the contracts of objectives, zone directors, and support and accompaniment advisers to be back on the field, by their side, and for there to be rapid and concrete progress in reforming their administrative and financial status. The minister has responded by announcing that she is working on a series of avenues to relieve the sector from the multiple reforms inherited from the Pact. The school leaders have expressed weariness and a lack of listening from the government, following having dealt with significant educational changes resulting from the pandemic, such as new regulations on free education and the educational path culture, student support files, and modern language learning. They are feeling overwhelmed and run out of steam due to managing daily school life with insufficient administrative help.
After their free software colleagues, it is the turn of the directors of the official basic schools to send a letter to the Minister of Education in the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, to inform her of the difficulties their corporation is facing these last months and “ la tension” Who “has now reached its climax, even its breaking point “.
“School leaders have been sounding the alarm for too long“, thus consider, together, the ADEF (Association of directors of basic schools of WBE) and the UDEC (Union of directions of municipal education), joined for the occasion by the representative of the basic schools of FELSI (non-denominational subsidized free network) What they denounce is a lack of listening.
All of a sudden, a feeling of shortness of breath, of weariness emerges in the head of these directions.
“After two school years shaken up by an unprecedented health crisis and managed with courage and loyalty, with the common core, new benchmarks, management plans and target contracts, new regulations on free education, the educational path culture and the arts, student support files, territorial hubs, personalized support, new regulations on modern language learning, the reform relating to maintenance, new school calendars, the project of evaluation of teachers, future projects in terms of school climate… with the shortage which is seriously affecting the teaching profession, with the management of daily school life (and extracurricular life! the two inevitably go hand in hand) naturally very demanding, sometimes with a class load, often without sufficient and/or quality administrative help… here are these women and men of goodwill, anxious to take up their responsibilities in the service of the school and of all those – young and old – who frequent, who have been running around for too long like headless chickens and legitimately run out of steam“, write these directions.
Trust feeling
To get out of this vice, ADEF, UDEC and FELSI demand “restoring a climate of trust “, the establishment “a long-term moratorium” on future reforms, the “back on the field, by their side “, pedagogical inspectors, delegates to the contracts of objectives, zone directors, support and accompaniment advisers, as well as “rapid and concrete progress in reforming their administrative and financial status“
In a committee meeting on Tuesday, however, the minister announced that she was working on a series of avenues intended to relieve the players in the sector faced with the multiple reforms inherited from the Pact.
In conclusion, the directors of the official basic schools in the Wallonia-Brussels Federation have reached their breaking point and are demanding action. They have been sounding the alarm for too long without feeling heard or understood. The ADEF, UDEC, and FELSI are united in their demands for a long-term moratorium on future reforms, a restoration of a climate of trust, and progress in reforming their administrative and financial status. While the minister has indicated that she is working on solutions to relieve the players in the sector, it remains to be seen if concrete and rapid progress will be made. The pressure is on for these leaders to receive the support they need to continue serving the school and all those who rely on them.
