The Walloon Ecolo party wants to make Dutch compulsory as a second language in French-speaking education.
Schools in the vicinity of the German-speaking community should also be able to choose German as a compulsory second language, the party said. In Brussels, Dutch lessons are compulsory from the third year onwards.
Approximately one-third of the pupils in French-speaking secondary schools follow Dutch lessons. However, Ecolo wants to change this by making Dutch or German classes mandatory in French-speaking education from 2022.
"Embedding the three national languages in all schools is necessary for the unity and the future of Belgium," Ecolo said, reports De Morgen.
"Learning the country's biggest language should be no more than normal," said Kalvin Soiresse Njall, member of Ecolo, reports Bruzz. "In addition, learning a second language makes it easier to build bridges between communities," he added.
The French-speaking Minister for Education, Caroline Désir, first wants to consult with the population before opening the debate on its implementation.
Maïthé Chini
The Brussels Times
