The exigencies of the coronavirus have strained all areas of Belgium's social fabric – not least the education systems that have been submitted to almost endless changes in pandemic policy, forcing them to adapt to distance learning and changing measures within schools.
Institutions have had to adapt on the fly, with the patchwork of rules that apply in different regions difficult to follow as an outside observer, let alone having to deal with on a daily basis. Which age groups can go to school, who has to wear masks, which regions are changing holiday dates, and of course, which class was forced into isolation as infections hit a certain threshold has been an exhausting affair simply to report on.
Unsurprisingly, the teachers on the front line have borne the brunt of all this and many schools are stretched to breaking point. Today, Francophone teachers feel that their burden is growing too great to bear with thousands taking to the streets as the "pressure cooker is exploding".
Strikingly, their grievances are directed not only at politicians who they feel haven't given enough support in their moment of need, but also at society as a whole. Those in the profession decry a more general under-valuing of teachers that fails to recognise their essential function.
The provision of care and instruction in a child's formative years is indisputably one of the most important aspects of civil life – paving the way to a nation's future prosperity. But this extends beyond the economic realms where countries are so prone to measure themselves. A good education is vital for social equality and moral decency – admittedly more nebulous ideals but ones that cut to the core of how societies regard themselves and treat their citizens.
And so the perception that teachers are under-appreciated, both within government and society more widely, is a concern that should not be taken lightly. And with thousands of teachers assembled in Brussels on a school day, their voice becomes impossible to ignore.
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