In Belgium, English is preferred over Dutch for French-speaking students

For the first time in Belgium, French-speaking 12-year-olds chose English over Dutch at school. Count again Free Belgium. The Kingdom’s three official languages ​​are French, Dutch and German.

In the Brussels region, the teaching of Dutch as a second language (after French) in all French-speaking schools and in some municipalities in the linguistic border, with special status, recalls the Belgian title. In the Walloon communes, on the other hand, the second language may be Dutch, German or English.

Until recently, continuing La Libre Belgium, The obligation prevailing in Brussels allowed the Dutch “Hold selected location” In the secondary schools of the Wallonia-Brussels federation – that is, French-speaking schools in the Walloon and Brussels regions. But the administration’s statistics for the 2021-2022 school year a “Code Switching”.

127,376 students turned to English as their first choice, while only 123,618 chose Dutch – including nearly 62,000 students who studied in Brussels.

Compulsory first national language?

In Wallonia, the number of students choosing Dutch as their first modern language in the first stage of secondary education dropped from 36% to 32% in two years. “The trend may be further accentuated”, According to the title. On the other hand, Free It also notes an increase in English learning in nursery and primary schools.

A linguistic evolution that raises a debate in this multilingual country: “Should it be imposed that the first modern language of all students should be one of the national languages?” Miracles Free. According to the education minister of the Wallonia-Brussels federation, Caroline Tzir, the question should be asked soon.

The paper concludes by noting that “fail” English is not taught in schools “Drowning” In a language other than French, where “Dutch is clearly the first choice”. According to FreeIt’s about a “Evidence that there is a need”.