'Robbed of their future': Protestors condemn cuts to Francophone education

Thousands of protestors marched in Brussels over the weekend to denounce cuts to French-language education in the capital and Wallonia.

Organised by teachers’ unions, parents’ associations and other citizens’ and youth associations, the march closed out a week of actions by trade unions in schools in the Wallonia-Brussels Federation (FWB).

Demonstrators oppose austerity measures taken by the MR/Les Engagés majority, including the elimination of meals for the most disadvantaged pupils, an increase in student fees, the postponement of a campaign against school dropout, increasing the cost of tuition fees in higher education, and freezing the indexation of certain subsidies, for example in early childhood, the cultural sector and youth support.

According to the unions, these budgetary decisions will worsen the situation in the education sector by further widening inequalities, increasing teachers’ workloads and reducing the attractiveness of the profession at a time when schools are facing a shortage of teachers.

“The ideological measures of the MR-Engagés majority are creating chaos for pupils, students, their families and workers who have been waiting for years for investment commensurate with the challenges facing society and the growing shortage of staff,” the unions said in a statement.

“This will permanently rob the next generation of a desirable, emancipatory and promising future.”

Stéphanie Barbieux, educational coordinator at the Infor Jeunes centre in Mons, told RTBF that young people face acute challenges that have only become more pronounced since the pandemic.

“We have a lot of requests from young people who don’t know where to go, who go to school because school is compulsory, but who don't see the point in what they are learning and who have enormous difficulty finding their way and finding a fulfilling education, or even one that leads to a career that might suit them,” said Barbieux, noting an increase in the number of young people who have to work to pay for their studies or help their families.

“Some young people are also giving up their chosen studies in order to remain within a geographical area accessible by public transport.”

Students also expressed concern about ambiguity regarding proposed curriculum changes that are opposed by teachers unions and still lacking in detail in terms of implementation.

The FWB rejected any criticism and justified the cuts by pointing to the difficult financial situation of the French Community, which has been struggling with structural deficits and mounting debt for years.

Demonstrators said this weekend’s protest was only the "first major moment" of a broader civil movement for young people, with more actions to follow in the coming months.

“Today, the warning lights are flashing orange, soon to turn red. It’s time to take action because the society they are creating is not the society we want,” said Roland Lahaye, general secretary of CSC Enseignement union.

“Today, we realise that we are faced with a government that no longer knows the meaning of the word ‘consultation’. Today, we believe that society needs to really wake up to where we are taking young people, where we are taking students. In five years’ time, it will be too late.”

Demonstrators are calling for high-quality education that is free and accessible to all, as well as public policies aimed at reducing inequalities and addressing the malaise among young people.