“Rampage“, “frontal attack“, “brutalisation“: the left-wing opposition in the Parliament of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation did not mince its words on Monday towards the entity’s draft budget for 2025 cooked up by the new MR-Engagés majority.
On the first day of the budget debate in Parliament, and on the eve of a teachers’ strike, the majority and the opposition crossed swords all day long over a blueprint marked by several savings measures, particularly in education. “We have no choice!“, however, defended Minister-President Elisabeth Degryse (Engaged). If the Federation does not straighten out its finances itself, it is Europe which will impose perhaps even more painful measures on it, she said. -she argued in front of the deputies.
Developed last month, the FWB’s 2025 budget provides for savings of 110 million euros, but also releases some 30 million for new policies, in the sectors of Children and Youth Aid in particular. . This Monday, however, it is the measures impacting education, the flagship competence of the Federation, which will have been at the center of the parliamentary debates.
Like her colleague Degryse, the Minister of Education Valérie Glatigny (MR) justified the efforts in the name of budgetary responsibility. “It is a budget that demonstrates realism while avoiding austerity“, she assured. Among the positive measures, the liberal pointed out on Monday the better consideration of the seniority of second career teachers in order to fight against the shortage of teachers. Valérie Glatigny also praised the extension of the pool of replacement teachers in the provinces of Walloon Brabant and Namur, or the start of the rebalancing of operating subsidies between official and free education.
“Two-speed education”
But unsurprisingly, the opposition focused on the savings measures announced for the school. “Education has become the adjustment variable of your budget“, notably attacked Martin Casier, the leader of the PS group. In his sights: the measures targeting qualifying education where the government has decided to put a brake on options with very few students. Or even the decision to henceforth send adult students who have dropped out to adult education (formerly Social Promotion).
“You announced during the electoral campaign that you wanted to revalue qualifying education. But today, what we see is that you devalue it by defunding it“, fustigé Bruno Bauwens (PTB). “Your policy is in fact to leave the weakest increasingly abandoned. With you, we are moving even further towards two-speed teaching!“, added, in substance, the elected communist.
In the Ecolo ranks, Bénédicte Linard deplored a budget that was ultimately very classic, made up of “arbitrary dry cuts and sprinkling“The former minister was also concerned about the almost unanimous reaction of those involved in education towards the methods of Minister Glatigny, castigated from all sides for her lack of consultation.”You are in the process of exploding the sacred union (of all the actors) around the Pact for excellent teaching“, pointed out the elected green.
Very lively, this budgetary debate will continue again on Tuesday, in the Committee on Children and Youth Assistance, but also in the Committee in charge of Media this time. The savings imposed on RTBF by the MR-Engagés government (nearly 12 million euros next year, editor’s note) will occupy part of the discussions.
