Nearly nine out of ten Flemish teachers are opposed to Education Minister Zuhal Demir’s proposed reform of the school calendar, aimed at increasing learning time.
The proposal includes making teaching mandatory on both the first and last days of school. It also intends to significantly reduce days without classes, such as teacher training days and “blank days” between exams and holidays.
Additionally, the reform plans to establish compulsory “educationally useful” care on days when teaching cannot take place.
According to the minister, secondary school students in Flanders attend 11% fewer classes compared to the OECD average, losing up to 22 school days annually.
While Zuhal Demir has secured agreement within the Flemish government, a survey by Teacher Tapp Vlaanderen of 1,305 teachers shows little support for the plan.
A total of 86% of teachers surveyed oppose mandatory teaching on the first and last days of school. Similarly, 85% reject either the elimination (in secondary schools) or reduction (in primary schools) of pedagogical days.
Only 10% of respondents support scrapping additional days off, which schools currently use to create long weekends by bridging a public holiday and a weekend.
