After seven weeks of summer holidays, the nearly 900,000 pupils in the French-speaking education system in Wallonia and Brussels, along with their 120,000 teachers, are returning to school this week. However, the atmosphere remains tense.
The final weeks of last school year were marked by a historic protest movement by the teaching profession against the austerity measures imposed by the Government of the French Community, also referred to as the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles (FWB).
The start of the new school year is shaping up to be just as contentious as the Francophone government, led by the centre-right coalition of MR and Les Engagés, does not intend to reverse any austerity measures.
"The atmosphere in the schools has not cooled down – far from it," Roland Lahaye, general secretary of the Christian education union CSC-Enseignement, told Belga News Agency.
The trade unions have submitted a strike notice valid until 27 September to cover all grassroots-led industrial action. This is a symbolic date, as it coincides with the French Community Day.
Austerity measures
In September 2025, an expert report commissioned by the FWB government sounded the alarm: the Federation’s overall deficit had risen to €1.5 billion, and its debt had increased to €14 billion.
Without "significant and urgent" measures, the debt risked spiralling out of control, according to the experts. Therefore, the FWB government decided that further savings had to be made.
A recent report by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) showed that within the European Union, the FWB spends more than the average for other European countries, without demonstrating results that are proportionate with this additional expenditure.
"On the basis of these international comparisons, the Committee therefore believes that it should be possible to spend less, while continuing to improve the quality and equity of compulsory education in the French Community of Belgium," the IMF report reads.
Pupils on the first day of school at the Phenix school of Dampremy, on Monday 24 August 2026. Credit: Belga/Virginie Lefour
As the majority of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation’s budget – 74.5% in 2025 – is allocated to education, they decided that the cost-cutting measures would mainly target this sector, although others (culture, media, early childhood) are not spared either.
Teachers, however, described a system on its last legs. They referred to a lack of resources and respect, which prevents them from carrying out their profession the way they should.
Under the new measures, secondary school teachers will have to teach two extra lesson periods without a pay rise (from 20 to 22 periods per week, representing a 10% increase in working hours).
It will also become more difficult for them to get a permanent contract, while their health insurance scheme will be less favourable.
For pupils, tuition fees for higher education are being increased from €835 to €1,194.
Risk of new protests
These measures sparked several days of fierce protests in Brussels at the end of last school year. Hundreds of pupils and teachers took to the streets of the capital to denounce the austerity measures.
What started as peaceful protests turned violent, and resulted in clashes between small groups of protesters and the police, including the deployment of tear gas on protesters, which included many students and minors.
"If the most far-reaching measures are not withdrawn and there is no genuine consultation on the part of the government, there is a risk that a movement will emerge which will continue," said Adrien Rosman of the socialist union Setca-SEL.
The Mars Attacks! movement, one of the driving forces behind the teachers’ protest a few months ago, also promises to resume its activities.
At present, stress and unrest are particularly evident in schools. Quite a few teachers are still waiting for more clarity regarding their workload for this school year following the controversial reforms. Despite the promised support measures, many fear they will lose teaching hours.
FWB Education Minister Valerie Glatigny, in Brussels, Tuesday 16 July 2024. Credit: Belga/Hatim Kaghat
The coming period will also be challenging for headteachers: they must redistribute their teachers' duties following the increase in teaching hours, while also informing those colleagues who will be left out.
In response to the discontent, Francophone Education Minister Valérie Glatigny (MR) indicated during the summer months that she wishes to restore dialogue with the sector. A proposal on this matter is currently being considered.
"The aim is to involve those on the ground at an earlier stage in reforms, in order to assess their feasibility and sustainability, whilst maintaining the existing consultation process," Glatigny's office said.
Over the next ten months, two key education issues are on the government's agenda. The first concerns the introduction of permanent contracts for teachers, which the government intends to offer to all new teachers from September 2027.
However, progress on this issue has been somewhat slower due to the budgetary impact, specifically the cost of the employers' contribution.
Not rushing into a new project
The second reform is the introduction of the new common core curriculum for the second and third years of secondary education. The entire education sector is eagerly awaiting the text of the decree, as this common core curriculum is due to be launched within a year in the second year of secondary education.
Normally, the reorganisation of the final three years of secondary education should also be set in motion, to bring them more closely into line with the common core curriculum.
The government appears to be taking a somewhat wait-and-see approach. "In a context where teachers have, in recent months, highlighted their concerns and fatigue regarding the succession of reforms, it would be inconsistent to rush into a new major project."
