But the new Minister of Education, Zuhal Demir, has chosen to keep Monday June 30, 2025 on the compulsory education agenda in Flanders. The one who is sometimes nicknamed the iron lady of the N-VA announced it to school principals this week. She believes that at a time when the level of students tends to drop and the lack of teachers disrupts the smooth running of lessons, “every day of school is necessary“. And to make it a symbolic value. “Ending the school year a day early sends the wrong signal.“
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Luxury absenteeism
This decision was rather poorly received. From experience, school principals know that they will inevitably be confronted with what in Flanders is called luxury absenteeism (“luxury absenteeism”).luxeverzuim“). Many families have already planned to go on vacation from Saturday June 28. The price of rentals can be up to 10% lower than that of the following week. Likewise, many Flemish youth movements have started to look for a camp location for the first week of July during which the young French speakers are still in school and therefore do not compete with them.
Many young people will therefore probably not appear in front of their teacher on Monday June 30, despite the threats of sanctions which will hang over their heads. However, school principals often take advantage of the last day of school to distribute report cards and ask students what options they plan to choose the following year. “We can thus make a first projection on the composition of classes at the start of the school year.“, confided a director.
This outcry does not seem to move the nationalist minister. His office points out that if some families plan to go on vacation as of Saturday June 28, others will not make this choice. The latter will therefore have to find a solution for the care of their children if schools remain closed on Monday June 30.
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One day is one day
Zuhal Demir knows well that no lessons are given on the last day of classes. But if the distribution of report cards takes place on June 30 and not Friday the 27th, there is one more day for classes. And this is indeed the priority of the new Flemish government. The extent of the teacher shortage is such that many courses are no longer given because school administrators are unable to replace sick teachers during their absence. Zuhal Demir refuses to add to these days of absence days of leave that are too easily granted to students. This is also why the Flemish government is preparing to eliminate pedagogical days – teachers will continue to train, but outside of class hours.
In this debate, which took on a certain extent this week in Flanders, voices were raised to recall that the Wallonia-Brussels Federation has definitively resolved the fate of these floating days. From now on, French-speaking schools always start the school year on a Monday – the last Monday in August – and always end it on a Friday – the first Friday in July. A provision which is now defended by many Flemish educators and by GO!, the public education network. “Working with full school weeks gives students a routine and less interruption to the learning process“, declared teacher Kristof De Witte (KU Leuven) at Standard. But the argument will probably leave Minister Zuhal Demir unmoved. The N-VA has ruled out the idea of imitating the French-speaking system. Which is only half surprising coming from the Flemish nationalist party.
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