Flemish Education Minister Zuhal Demir (N-VA) announced on Thursday that she will release €116 million in extra funding to support new two-year vocational programmes at higher education colleges, provided the institutions commit to cutting down on the number of campuses.
Demand for short, work-oriented courses has surged this academic year in Flanders, largely due to recent reforms allowing students to enrol directly after secondary school without completing an additional seventh year. Colleges had warned that the influx of students would place a heavy financial burden on them.
By linking the funding to an "efficiency exercise," Demir is targeting small or overlapping courses offered at nearby sites, which she says duplicate resources. "Those who ask taxpayers to make an effort must also make an effort themselves," she said, stressing that decisions will be made in consultation with schools.
Currently, Flanders offers 32 associate degree programmes across 212 sites and 75 bachelor’s programmes across 365 sites. Demir aims to reduce these to 175 and 335, respectively, projecting efficiency gains of at least €29 million to be reinvested into education.
