Speech therapy student numbers fall by almost 20 per cent in 10 years

While waiting lists for speech therapists in Belgium are growing, enrolment in speech therapy courses in the Dutch-speaking education system in rapidly declining. Last academic year, the number of students was at its lowest level in a decade, with 17 per cent fewer students than 10 years ago. The numbers come from analysis by HR services group Acerta and the Flemish Association of Speech Therapists (VVL).

People in Belgium who want to see a speech therapist often face long waiting lists. However, the number of authorised therapists in Belgium has increased by 64 per cent over the past decade, from 10,946 in 2013 to 17,912 in 2023, according to figures from the Federal Public Service (FPS) Public Health.

A major explanation is increased workload due to an ageing population. As a result, more children and elderly people with speech and language problems are seeking help from speech therapists. Not every licensed speech therapist practises the profession, Acerta said in a press release.

Therapists are also ageing: 16 per cent of licensed in Belgium are 60 or older and 9 per cent are over 65. In 2013, these figures were 6 and 2 per cent respectively.

In the past 10 years, the number of students has fallen sharply in the professional bachelor of speech therapy and audiology at Flemish university colleges - by 19.6 per cent - and in the study of speech therapy and audiological sciences at Flemish and Brussels universities, by 11 per cent.

However, last academic year, 9 per cent more first-time students enrolled.

“A lot of steps forward have been taken recently to make the profession more attractive to young people. Think, for example, of the agreement on the higher fees speech therapists can charge,” said Stefaan Lefevere of the VVL. “In addition, measures have also been taken to reduce the administrative burden.”

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