This Thursday, the Parliament of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation definitively adopted three decrees put forward by Education Minister Valérie Glatigny. These texts reflect the same objective: providing concrete answers to the needs expressed by education stakeholders on the ground, and simplifying the daily work of teaching teams so they can focus more on supporting pupils, whether in mainstream or special education. These decrees respectively concern special education, the fight against truancy and permanent exclusions, and several positive measures as part of the 2026 budget adjustment.
Better adapting special education to pupils' needs
The first decree introduces a series of concrete adjustments expected by stakeholders on the ground, aimed at better meeting the needs of pupils with disabilities or specific needs. It will notably make it easier to develop special education provision in areas where it is currently insufficient, reducing the long journeys some families still have to make to find a suitable place.
The text also makes it easier to create new places, particularly for pupils on the autism spectrum, creates two new paramedical roles (clinical special education psychologist and care assistant) to strengthen pupil support, expands the possibilities for inclusion-oriented classes (CLAVI) starting from nursery education, and makes permanent the bilingual French-sign language classes.
Finally, the decree simplifies numerous administrative procedures, particularly regarding exemptions, allowing teaching teams to devote more time to their pupils rather than to administrative tasks.
Better preventing truancy and limiting disruptions to schooling
The second decree improves the implementation of the reforms adopted in 2024 on truancy and permanent exclusions, following consultations with stakeholders on the ground.
The aim is to enable faster intervention for pupils facing difficulties while simplifying the work of school heads, teachers and PMS centres. The new provisions notably include a single tool for managing absences, automatically fed by the DAccE (pupil support file) to avoid double data entry, and earlier detection of at-risk situations thanks to real-time accessible data.
The text also improves the permanent exclusion procedure by shortening certain administrative deadlines and expanding the possibilities for re-enrolling pupils once all usual solutions have been exhausted (notably in another education network), in order to limit as much as possible periods of a pupil being out of school.
Concrete investments to support schools and teachers
The third decree, adopted as part of the 2026 budget adjustment, provides for two concrete measures.
Firstly, more than 8 million euros will be invested in 2026 in digital equipment for both schools and pupils. The Government is thus maintaining in full the existing “Mes outils numériques” scheme, which allows families to benefit from a 150-euro voucher towards the purchase of computer equipment, and supports schools through a solidarity fund aimed at strengthening their digital equipment.
Finally, each school will first receive a flat amount of 1,000 euros, supplemented by a variable share calculated according to its pupil numbers.
This measure directly supports the introduction, from the next school year, of the two weekly digital periods in the first year of secondary school as part of the FMTTN course (Manual, Technical, Technological and Digital Training).
In addition, the programme decree also addresses a specific situation concerning certain appointed teachers who already, on a voluntary basis, work beyond their standard hours today, 21 periods instead of 20 in upper secondary school, for a higher salary.
Following the increase of the teaching load to 22 periods in upper secondary school, applying the existing rules could have led some of them to suffer a slight reduction in their pay.
The Government has therefore chosen to correct this situation. Specifically, the teachers concerned will, if they wish, be able to continue working an additional period, i.e. 23 periods, in order to maintain their current higher salary. This option remains strictly voluntary.