Hundreds of teachers protest planned reform of religious education in Flanders
Several hundred teachers of religious and philosophical subjects protested on Wednesday outside the Brussels cabinet of Flemish education minister Zuhal Demir (N-VA).
The demonstration was organised by education unions COD-Onderwijs, COC, COV and VSOA-Onderwijs, together with umbrella organisation Katholiek Onderwijs Vlaanderen, in opposition to the Flemish government’s planned reform of religious and philosophical education and the accompanying savings measures.
Under the reform, schools would be allowed from next academic year to group the two weekly hours of religious and philosophical education into larger teaching blocks every two weeks, monthly or over longer periods. The government says the measure is intended to reduce timetable fragmentation and avoid situations in which teachers teach very small groups of pupils.
The reform is also expected to generate savings, initially estimated at 100 million euros annually, although the final figure is now projected to be lower.
According to the unions, however, the plans could affect 1,399 teachers. Protesters warned of organisational chaos, overcrowded classrooms and declining educational quality. Demonstrators also expressed concern about the impact on children and young people if religious and philosophical education were weakened.
© BELGA VIDEO KAAT COSTERS
While some acknowledged the need for budgetary restraint, many argued that the savings would ultimately come at the expense of education quality.
The unions are calling on Demir to continue investing in religious and philosophical education, abandon the planned cuts, and provide schools and teachers with greater legal certainty and a workable organisational framework.
At the end of the protest, union representatives symbolically carried a coffin filled with letters into the office building housing the minister’s cabinet.
#FlandersNewsService | Religious Education teachers protest against the Flemish Government's planned education reform, on Wednesday 20 May 2026, in Brussels. © BELGA PHOTO KAAT COSTERS
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