The government's roadmap plans to halve the number of children in home schooling by 2029. Indeed, this number has risen sharply. Among the causes: cases of school phobia, but also children with special needs (severe learning disorders) or children who left school following certain communitarian abuses.
The Wallonia-Brussels Federation Government is taking a new step to better regulate home schooling, with the aim of guaranteeing every child a quality learning path, regardless of their school journey.
Today, when a family chooses home schooling, the administrative procedures require little information about the actual content of the learning. This situation does not always make it possible to ensure that the pupil receives sufficient educational support to progress properly.
The reform presented by Minister Valérie Glatigny aims to correct this.
In concrete terms, families will now have to provide a detailed educational project as well as a training plan for the school year. The aim is not to restrict a recognised freedom, but to guarantee that every child actually benefits from their right to education, within a structured, coherent framework adapted to their needs.
Particular attention will also be paid to pupils with learning disorders or disabilities, so as to adapt monitoring and checks to their situation.
This reform also aims to better address certain realities on the ground, such as situations of school phobia or dropout. In these cases, remote schooling support solutions, in cooperation with schools, could gradually be developed to prevent a pupil from being left without support.
Every child has the right to an education that enables them to master basic learning and progress throughout their schooling. Families' freedom of choice must always go hand in hand with the child's best interests.
This measure is part of a broader ambition: to better support families, prevent school dropout and ensure that every young person has the tools needed to progress calmly through their schooling and build their life plan.