East Flanders will delay school neutrality policy until 2026

31 July 2025

East Flanders will not introduce its planned neutrality policy in provincial schools until September 2026. The measure, which includes a general ban on visible signs of religious or political affiliation, such as headscarves, yarmulkes, crosses or party badges, applies to both students and staff.

The proposal has sparked intense debate in the provincial council in recent months. The inclusion of the principle in school regulations forms part of the governing agreement between N-VA, CD&V and Vooruit, but previous votes failed to gain a majority after several Vooruit councillors abstained.

N-VA received backing from Vlaams Belang, which has strongly endorsed the ban and presented itself as a proponent of a fully neutral school environment. This political alignment heightened the sensitivity of the issue.

Measure annulled

Last week, the measure was annulled by Flemish education minister Hilde Crevits of CD&V, who cited a procedural flaw: the required recommendations from school councils had not been obtained before the new regulations were adopted.

While Crevits affirmed that the principle of neutrality was both “legitimate and proportionate”, she rejected the legal implementation on procedural grounds. Although the provincial council had the option to appeal the annulment, it chose not to do so.

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"A legal battle doesn't help anyone, especially not our students," said Kurt Moens of N-VA, councillor responsible for education in the province.

"We want to avoid schools being left in uncertainty about which regulations are currently in effect. We're using the postponement to prepare a robust, legally sound regulation, including tailored guidance."

Moens said earlier this month that resubmitting the proposal to the council had not been ruled out.

While the ban is being revised, it is now expected to take effect in time for the 2026–2027 academic year. According to Moens, the additional year will be used to guide students, parents and staff through the transition.

Although the ban would formally apply across the entire provincial education network, the practical impact is expected to be limited, with only a small number of institutions affected.

In the meantime, current school regulations remain in force. The province is working on legally and substantively revised rules that will apply to all provincial schools from 2026.

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