Education: Repetition rates down to 2020 levels

Education: Repetition rates down to 2020 levels
Credit: Belga

The repetition rates recorded at the end of the last school year (2021-2022) in the Federation of Brussels and Wallonia (FWB) have roughly returned to the levels recorded in 2019-2020, FWB Education Minister Caroline Désir indicated on Tuesday.

In primary education, the repetition rate in the last school year reached an average of 2.8%, higher than the 2.3% recorded in 2020-2021, but equal to 2019-2020 (2.8%, as well), Ms. Desir told an FWB parliamentary commission.

In secondary education, the repetition rate amounted to 10.8% last year, much higher than the 6.3% recorded in 2020-2021, but less than the 13.9% registered in 2019-2020. This year’s rate of failure for the Basic Studies Certificate (CEB, an external certification test imposed on all sixth-year students – Editor’s note) reached 14.6%, well above the 9.2% registered in 2019 or the 11.7% in 2021.

“While it is possible that this increase is partly linked to the health crisis, we cannot say that with any certainty,” Ms. Désir commented in response to questions from several parliamentarians.

“After three years disrupted by health constraints, all these trends are obviously not surprising.” she added. “This context has had a huge impact on the continuity of learning and it was impossible for this to be completely without consequence for the students, and in particular the most fragile among them.

“We must remain extremely attentive, but this is not the time to dramatise either. The drop in the success rate remains, at this stage, contained,” she argued.

The results of the CE1D (a test organised at the end of second year of high school) and the CESS (organised at the end of the sixth year of high school) will only be known at the end of this month.


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