The language requirement for parents seeking priority access for their children to Dutch-language schools in Brussels will be enforced more strictly under a decree amendment approved by the Flemish Parliament on Wednesday.
In Brussels, 65% of places in Dutch-language schools are reserved for pupils whose parents are Dutch-speaking. Parents are expected to have a B2 level of Dutch.
Until now, that level was assessed through an oral test only, even though parents were already expected to be able to write in Dutch as well.
Under the new rules, parents will have to prove they can read, write, understand and speak Dutch. They will be able to do so in several ways, including through the Taaltest Nederlands voor Anderstaligen or the CNaVT, the Certificate of Dutch as a Foreign Language.
Flemish parliamentarian Koen Daniëls, from the Nieuw Vlaamse Alliantie (N-VA), said that anyone who consciously chooses Dutch-language education in Brussels is also clearly choosing Dutch.
Flemish Minister for Brussels Cieltje Van Achter, also from the N-VA, said a priority rule only makes sense if it benefits the people for whom it is intended.
