Education in Belgium

Education in Belgium is regulated and for the larger part financed by one of the three official communities : Flemish, French and German speaking. The national government plays a very small role: it decides directly the age for mandatory schooling and indirectly the financing of the communities.

The schools can be divided in three groups :

1. Schools owned by the communities
2. Subsidized public schools organized by provinces and municipalities
3. Subsidized free schools mainly organized by an organization affiliated to the catholic church

Education in Belgium is compulsory between the ages of 6 and 18.

Cost of higher education in Belgium

In contradiction to the US, depending on whether the student is eligible and applies for financial aid, there are three prices. The financial aid in Belgium is not at all based on the student's results or sports achievements (as it is in the US), but related to the student’s family financial income. However, students who fail too many classes can lose their financial aid.

These are the three different prices:

Bursary-student 

A student who is receiving financial aid. In Dutch-speaking institutions, their tuition fee is between €80 ($64) and €100 ($80).

Almost-bursary student 

A student who is not eligible for financial aid but has a family income below €1286.09 ($1,020) per month. In Dutch-speaking institutions, their tuition fee is between €333.60 ($266.88) and €378.60 ($303).

Non-bursary student 

Anyone not eligible for financial aid with an income above €1286.09 ($1,029) per month. In Dutch-speaking institutions their tuition fee is between €500.40 ($400.32) and €597 ($477.60),  and in French-speaking institutions, around €830 ($664).

The financial aid awarded by the community governments depends on the income of the student's family, and other familial circumstances, but is never more than approximately €3,300 per year ($2,640). So compared to the US, higher education is very cheap even if you have no financial aid.

This also means that lower income families not only have the possibility to send their kids to college, they are even financially helped by the Belgian government.

In the US most students need to get a student loan, or their family need to spend all their savings to be able to pay for higher education. This phenomenon is absolutely not known in Belgium.

Education for children from 6 to 18 years old (age for mandatory schooling) is as good as free. Schools get financial aid from the government, more than $250 per student per year. The government also pays for a lot of school materials like pen and paper, agendas, books, PC's, calculators, etc. There is also a maximum amount per month that can be invoiced to the parents for other expenses like school outings.

Opponents might say that allowing everyone to benefit from (almost) free education would decrease the level of education. Nothing is less true. The United Nations Education Index, which is measured by the adult literacy rate and the combined primary, secondary, and tertiary gross enrollment  ratio, ranks Belgium on the 19th place in the world as of 2012, the US on the 25th place.

World map indicating Education Index based on the 2009 UN HDR

0.950 and over   0.900–0.949   0.850–0.899   0.800–0.849   0.750–0.799

0.700–0.749   0.650–0.699   0.600–0.649   0.550–0.599   0.500–0.549

0.450–0.499   0.400–0.449   0.350–0.399   under 0.350   not available

On top of that Pascal Smet said that we can be proud of our higher education system which combines an extra ordinary quality with an easy accessability. “The Flemish government did a lot of effort to keep and to strengthen this” (thanks to the financial support of the Flemish Government) says Mr. Smet.

I totally agree if you want education to be accessible for everybody, that the government needs to take their responsibility and invest in making education ass affordable as possible. Even for families with a low income. Education is a right, and is not only for people who can effort it.

"Let us think of education as the means of developing our greatest abilities, because in each of us there is a private hope and dream which, fulfilled, can be translated into benefit for everyone and greater strength for our nation." John F. Kennedy (1917-1963) Thirty-fifht President of the USA

Resources:

www.ond.vlaanderen.be. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Apr. 2013. <http://www.ond.vlaanderen.be/schoolkosten/basis/minder/>.

www.unesco.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Apr. 2013. <http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/leading-the-international-agenda/efareport/infographics/>.

www.pascalsmet.be. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Apr. 2013. <http://www.pascalsmet.be/article/pascal-smet-begrijpt-bezorgdheid-betogende-student/>.

www.ond.vlaanderen.be. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Apr. 2013. <http://www.ond.vlaanderen.be/hogeronderwijs/studeren/studiegelden/studiegelden2012-2013.pdf>.

www.kuleuven.be. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Apr. 2013. <http://www.kuleuven.be/studentenadministratie/inschrijvingen/studiegelden/academiejaar.html>.

Kennedy, John F. proverbia. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Apr. 2013. <http://en.proverbia.net/citasautor.asp?autor=14002>.

Financial Pressure

President Obama said that he wants lower tuition. He wants America to lead the world in college graduates. An eventual goal to get there is to set free higher education. One important thing we need is to reclaim that if society helps someone make him or herself better, that someone will make society better as well. 

A research was done in 2007 on 14,500 students at fifteen different colleges. 38% of the students said that the reason why they dropped out of college was because of the financial pressure they were experiencing. As a student, you have a really big responsibility that you should not need to be having. The responsibility of working to be able to pay your tuition. So making higher education free would definitely have its advantages for that 38% of students.

I know some people that are living together with their brothers and sisters, and the only parent they have that takes care of them is their mother. The problem is that the mother is not fluently in English. So it is hard for her to find a decent job so she would earn enough money to be able to take care of her family. That is why her children work before and after their classes, and even between them. But on top of that, they need to concentrate on school, and make sure they pass their classes. And it sometimes is really hard to find the time to do that.

Another advantage for free education is that it would expand our economy. A college-educated person would earn $900,0000 more over the course of a lifetime than a high school graduate. The country would also have the ability to discover new breakthroughs in different industries.

Higher education in Belgium is cheap (or even free). This gives everyone the change to get a higher education and students would not have to work right when they get out of class. They would not have to worry about their loan, because they would not have to get one. They can concentrate on their classes, and they can graduate in four years instead of six or more.

By making education free, a lot of people would have a better future and would not have that financial pressure.

"Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn." Wise words from Benjamin Franklin. When someone tells you something, you will forget after a will, but when someone teaches and involves you, you will remember and learn from it. 

Resources:
www.mediafreedominternational.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2013. <http://www.mediafreedominternational.org/2010/12/13/higher-education-should-be-free/>.

www.mndaily.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2013. <http://www.mndaily.com/2012/02/09/higher-education-should-be-free>.

Franklin, Benjamin. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2013.

Everyone has the right to education

Nelson Mandela once said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” (1)

When it comes to education, I say that this quote is one of the most truthful quotes. Education is something that no one can ever take away from you. Once you have the knowledge, it is yours; it is in your head. Forever.

I think that everyone needs to have the right to get a higher education. Your future depends on whether you have a higher education or not, because the day of today it is really hard to find a decent, good paying job, without any degree.

Making education free would have a lot of advantages like; everyone would be able to get a good education, they would not have to work everyday, before and after school, to be able to pay for their education, so they could concentrate on their schoolwork more, and the unemployment rate would not be as high. These are just a few of the many reasons why higher education should be free.

There is one big problem caused by the high cost of higher education. Only 30% of all Americans, who start college or university, graduate. This percentage is really low, and the main reason why it is only 30% is because students work a lot to be able to pay for the tuition. They do not have time to study for their exams, or to finish their homework because they are working instead of studying. There are also a lot of students that take six years or more to graduate instead of four years.

The other 70% either quit because they cannot pay for their education anymore, or because the combination work-school is too hard.

It is obvious that there are a lot of people that cannot get a higher education because of a lot of different circumstances, and I think that everyone should deserve to get a higher education so they can get the job they want later on in their lives.

Sources:

www.goodreads.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2013. <http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/16243-education-is-the-most-powerful-weapon-which-you-can-use>.

www.huffingtonpost.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2013. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bob-samuels/why-all-public-higher-edu_b_1099437.html>.

Mandela, Nelson. www.goodreads.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2013.

Getting to know me

Black, yellow, red. The colors of the Belgian flag. I am from Belgium, and I am staying here for a few years to study to major which is Criminal Justice.

I chose this pictures of my spikes because I love running track. I am in the track team, and it is a really big part of my life. I spend more time out on the track or in the weight room than that I spend time home to relax.

It is always nice to know who the person is that is writing the blog you are reading. So that is why I uploaded a picture of myself so you know who am, and not just know my name. I love traveling, and this picture is taken in Mexico last Winter break.

On this picture you can see me at my prom. I really love going out and party and have fun with friends. And the part I love the most: dressing up.

I love seeing the world, and visiting as much countries as possible. This picture represents my three-months exchange period in Egypt. I love the feeling of experiencing new cultures, and getting to know people all around the world.