Universities are being asked to show flexibility for students who are quarantining as a result of the coronavirus during the exams period in Belgium.
The Wallonia-Brussels Federation’s Minister of Higher Education Valerie Glatigny (MR) called for higher education institutions to offer solutions to students who could not sit their exams because they were self-isolating, Belga News Agency reports.
“In previous sessions, solutions were found for many students. We call on the institutions to ensure that this is again the case for the January 2022 session,” the minister said in a statement.
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The rapid spread of the Omicron variant in Belgium has caused infections to rise rapidly. Students needing to isolate or quarantine are being told to contact their institution in order to find suitable solutions together.
Modified in-person exams
For the rest of students, face-to-face exam sessions will be organised with mandatory face masks and distanced seating – a standard measure for exams anyway to prevent students from copying their neighbours.
This configuration “allows students to take their exams in the classroom while limiting the risk of the virus spreading,” said Minister Glatigny.
“These measures, deemed adequate by health experts, have made it possible to avoid the development of clusters within institutions since the start of the September 2021 academic year.”
