Walloon pupils prefer English over Dutch

The number of students in Wallonia who choose to learn Dutch at school has decreased by 10% in four years, reports La Dernière Heure today. In the Brussels-Capital Region, however, Dutch is a compulsory subject, just as French is compulsory for students in Flanders.

According to the latest figures from the French Community, only 14,834 pupils in secondary education opted for Dutch last school year, while 22,537 preferred English. In 2012, 16,407 students chose to study Dutch.

According to a professor at the University of Bergen, Alain Braun, the main reason Dutch is losing popularity among Wallonian students is simply because English seems to be a more strategic language to learn in an increasingly globalised world. Also, Braun points out, Dutch is as good as absent in the French-speaking media.