Children and youth

Today, we are wasting too much of the talent of our Brussels children and youth. This starts already in our Dutch-speaking daycare centres and schools.

• Not every parent can find a place in childcare: in Brussels, for every 100 children aged 0-3, there are currently 49 places provided. Moreover, the figures are unevenly distributed across the region.
• There were 250 places less in childcare in 2023 than in 2019.
• A teacher in every classroom is no longer obvious. In fact, some Brussels schools have already had to close a class because there were simply no more teachers to be found. Other cities will follow. In many schools, there are people teaching who have not been trained as a teacher.
• 1 in 5 of 15-year-olds do not reach the level needed to function autonomously in our society.
• Many young people do not have a sufficient level of Dutch, even after graduation. This then causes learning deficits and increases the probability of ending up without a diploma.
• 1 in 5 young people in Brussels leave school without a qualification or diploma.
• 4 in 10 beginning teachers quit within 5 years.
• 85% of Dutch-speaking teachers in Brussels live in Flanders. They often have a long commute to go to their schools. So, when they have the opportunity of teaching nearby, they leave the Brussels schools.
• There is also a problem with diversity in the teaching staff. Also, there are still not enough people from Brussels teaching classes.
• Too many youngsters do not feel good about themselves. Research shows that 1 in 5 minors struggle with mental problems. They don’t find the path to psychological help or are faced with waiting lists.
• 4 in 10 teachers see more empty lunchboxes in school now than 5 years ago (Flemish figures). More than half of the teachers see more lunchboxes containing unhealthy things.
• The school bills can vary a lot between schools, even for the same course of study.
• Not every school can offer the same range of extracurricular activities, and there are huge price differences between schools. And then, there’s the chaotic holiday schedule.

The consequences?

No places in childcare, diminishing quality of the education, linguistic deficits, and empty lunchboxes.

• On third of parents cannot find a place in childcare or a school. This causes stress.
• Childminders fall ill because of high workloads and parents don’t know what to do. Waiting lists for childcare are only increasing, often forcing parents to remain at home to care for their children. This doesn’t only have an impact on their purchasing power, but also on our welfare state.
• It’s increasingly hard for schools to find teachers. More and more people are teaching without a teaching qualification. When no teacher can be found, class groups are merged, or a school has to decide to close a class.
• In secondary schools, students are spending several hours per week not being taught, because of the lack of teachers.
• The quality of education is going down. That’s logical, when there’s no teacher in the classroom.
• Children being able to speak different languages certainly is an asset, but only if we succeed to teach them a good level of Dutch as well. Strong bases are essential - and language is the basis for everything. A lack of knowledge of Duch weakens children in all other areas of learning.
• Because of the shortage of teachers, added to the diminishing quality of education, a language deficit often leads to a learning deficit. Too many youngsters drop out, are unable to find a job, and live in poverty. This creates a vicious circle that, for a lot of our young people, is hard to escape from.
• If you don’t feel good about yourself, you cannot achieve the best possible way of learning. Young people rightly ask for more attention to mental wellbeing, also in school.
• Some professional fields of education are very expensive, because they require specific materials or clothing. This implies that some students determine their field of study based on their means, not their talents.
• Not all Brussels children have access to a diversified and affordable range of extracurricular activities. This causes loss of opportunities, because quality recreational activities are an important lever for their development and flourishing.

What does Vooruit.brussels want?

More places in Dutch-language schools and childcare

• The first 6 years are crucial for the development of our children. That’s why we invest in our childcare, and reform it, to give every child the best start in life. We invest in good and affordable daycare with one caregiver for five children, and 130 days free childcare for every child. The number of places in Dutch-language schools must also increase. Via an expansion of the offer, and more collaboration with the French-language community.

A strong teacher in every class

• Teachers who choose for Brussels should be rewarded. We want to create more breathing space for teachers in Brussels, by employing co-teachers to lighten their burden. By giving them more support and a teachers’ education tailored to a metropolis. Especially beginning teachers will benefit from extra coaching. Because strong education starts with strong teachers.

A free healthy meal in school for every child in primary school

• You can’t learn anything with an empty stomach. Yet there are still hungry children in the Brussels classrooms. That is unacceptable...We want a free and healthy meal in school for every child in primary school. Every day. We’ve proven that it’s possible in the schools of the City of Brussels, now it’s up to Flanders to make it possible in every school.

Dutch as cement in a multilingual city

• In a melting pot like Brussels, multilingualism is an asset. On one condition: children should have enough elementary knowledge of Dutch. Those whose level of Dutch is insufficient, must have more opportunities to practise Dutch, also after school. Because a language deficit too often leads to a learning deficit. We provide extra language support in childcare centres and schools. We target schools that also offer activities outside of school hours. Through sports, theatre or arts, children can discover their talents and practise Dutch in a playful way. Youth movements and holiday playgroup activities have an important role in continued education too.
• We advocate that both in the Dutch-speaking and the French-speaking schools in Brussels, the other national language is required to be taught, intensively and from an early age. It does not make sense for children in French-language schools not to be taught any Dutch in their entire school career, only to be given expensive language cheques when entering the job market. We promote the exchange of teachers between Dutch- and French-language schools.

Being young and carefree

• Young people should be able to find accessible and affordable psychological care. That’s why we invest even more in youth care. We establish an accessible registration point for all request for youth care, so young people and their parents don’t have to search endlessly to find the necessary help. We expand the Brede Scholen with local welfare partners. This way, we focus on prevention and strengthen the broad learning and living environment of children and their parents. Eliminating waiting lists remains a priority. Every child should receive the help it needs on time.

Extending the maximum bill to secondary schools

• School choice or study choice should not be determined by their parents’ means. Costs are much too high in secondary schools. Even for the same course of study, there can be a difference of up to 500 euros per year between schools. Those differences have to go. Books and teaching materials that are necessary to achieve the exit qualifications should be provided by the school. The Flemish Government should therefore provide more funding. Thanks to the socialists, a maximum bill already exists in primary schools. It’s high time to introduce a maximum bill in secondary school too. Children don’t deserve to be the victims of inequality. It’s a core task of a strong welfare state to give equal opportunities to all children.

High-quality and affordable extracurricular activities

• We are committed to providing high-quality and affordable after-school care by investing in an accessible offer through strong recreational organisations, aligned with the workings of the Brede School. This requires deployment of sufficient and qualified staff. In doing so, we elaborate one transparent and income-related pricing policy, with special attention to single-parent families. We also invest in attractive, multifunctional, and sustainable buildings that are also accessible after school hours.

Harmonising school holidays

• The fact that there are currently two holiday schemes in Brussels is absurd and causes organisational problems for families, youth organisations and businesses. We want one holiday schedule for all schools with better spacing like they already have in schools of the French speaking community. This is not only much more logical but also avoids learning disruption for children who would otherwise spend a very long time at home. So, this is crucial to give every child a fair chance.

Learn more?

Discover here our full programme about children and youth