Flanders tackles declining quality of education with regional tests
From Wednesday, all pupils in the fourth year of primary school and the second year of secondary school will take a series of tests established by the government of Flanders to tackle the declining quality of education.
The tests are digital and currently focus on Dutch and mathematics. For example, students have to fill in symbols to solve mathematical problems, while newspaper articles test their reading skills. Children are not required to study for the tests, and schools decide whether the results count towards their final grade.
"Maths and Dutch are essential. You need these subjects to be able to do all the other subjects," says Flemish Education minister Ben Weyts. "But I do not rule out extending the tests [to other subjects] in the future."
Anonymised comparison
Weyts sees the tests as a tool to improve the quality of education. Belgium is one of the few countries that do not have centralised tests and the education sector relies on foreign surveys, which are carried out only every few years and on a selected number of pupils.
"Maths and Dutch are essential. You need these subjects to be able to do all the other subjects"
After the tests, an anonymised comparison will allow schools to see how they compare with similar schools. But fears of schools being ranked are unfounded, says Weyts. The tests are "a tool to intervene in schools that are underperforming", he says. He also says that while sanctions will never be imposed solely on the basis of the results, they could be the reason for an extra screening of a school.
Full rollout in 2027
From Wednesday, pupils in the fourth year of primary school and the second year of secondary school will take the tests. From May 2026, pupils in the sixth year of primary school will take part, and from May 2027, pupils in the sixth year of secondary school. After that, all pupils in Flanders will take the central tests at four points in their school career.
While the quality of Flemish education has been on a steady decline, a recent study showed that the performance of sixth-grade primary school students improved slightly in 2023.
#FlandersNewsService | © BELGA PHOTO NICOLAS MAETERLINCK
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