After extended negotiations and tensions, the government of Wallonia-Brussels Federation has come to an agreement on the security clearance file. This agreement grants the 57 authorizations, including those for the Masters in Medicine at UMons and the University of Namur, but also includes additional measures to meet the objectives of public funds management and institutional accountability.
In medical sciences, an identical coefficient will be applied to all students to ensure equity, avoiding overfunding of the joint degree between ULB/UMons. The appropriateness of the two controversial authorizations will also be assessed after 5 years, including an independent study to analyze the contribution of cohabilitation for student accessibility and general practitioners in areas with shortages.
The authorization of a joint degree for a Masters in Medicine between ULB and the UMons may be cancelled if the Erasmus university hospital collaboration ends or if there is a request from academic authorities for recognition of a new university hospital. The government will also reform the authorization system, with no new training offers authorized until the start of the 2025-2026 academic year.
This authorization dossier put the FWB government under great tension after a threat from the president of PS, Paul Magnette, to form an alternative majority with Les Engagés to validate the Masters in Medicine from UMons and Namur universities if the MR continued to oppose. Paul Magnette reacted to this announcement from the Wallonia-Brussels Federation government on Twitter.
After several weeks of negotiations and tensions, the government of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation finally reached an agreement on the security clearance file this Saturday evening. The 57 authorizations requested, therefore including those for the Masters in Medicine at UMons and the University of Namur, are granted but are accompanied by a series of additional measures. “In order to meet the objectives of good management of public funds and accountability of institutions, a series of additional measures are planned,” the government said in a press release.
For habilitations in medical sciences, “in order to avoid overfunding of the master’s organized as a joint degree between ULB/UMons to the detriment of other courses and to ensure equity between all medical students, an identical coefficient will be applied to all students”, specifies the executive. In other words, UMons will not benefit from additional funding for its master’s degree in medicine and the other faculties of the Federation will not be funded.
Creation of a master’s degree in medicine at UMons: the university remains confident
An assessment of the appropriateness of the two controversial authorizations will also take place after 5 years. It will include an independent study to analyze whether there is a link between the creation of masters and the installation of general practitioners in areas with shortages and the contribution of cohabilitation for student accessibility.
In addition, the authorization relating to a master’s degree in medicine in joint degree between the ULB and the UMons will be canceled in the event of a rupture of collaboration with the Erasmus university hospital or in the event of a request from the academic authorities to recognition of a new university hospital.
The government has also planned to reform the authorization system, in particular with the blocking of the financing of any new authorization for 3 years, “so as to make establishments responsible”.
Finally, “a moratorium on authorizations will apply until the end of the legislature. No new training offer will be authorized before the start of the 2025-2026 academic year”, the objective being “to get out of a dynamic of annual review of the training offer which leads to one-upmanship.”
The authorizations dossier has put the FWB government under great tension after the threat last week from the president of the PS, Paul Magnette, to constitute an alternative majority with Les Engagés to validate the masters in medicine from the universities of Mons and Namur if the MR continued to oppose it.
On Twitter, Paul Magnette reacted to this announcement from the government of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation.
In conclusion, the government of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation has finally reached an agreement on the controversial security clearance file, granting the 57 requested authorizations but implementing additional measures for accountability and good management of public funds. These measures include a coefficient that will be applied to all students for habilitations in medical sciences, an assessment of the appropriateness of the controversial authorizations after 5 years, and a moratorium on authorizations until the end of the legislature. The government’s decision has put an end to weeks of negotiations and tensions, which threatened to lead to an alternative majority being formed. Overall, the new measures aim to ensure equity and responsible management in the education sector.