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🇧🇪 Belgium /Culture & Society

Finding a place in secondary school’s B stream remains difficult as new year begins: ‘Sign up’ becomes ‘fend for yourself’

From VRT NWS · () Dutch

Translated from Dutch and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Mohamed secured a secondary-school place only after his mentor contacted schools herself because all five of his preferred options were full.
  • Antwerp still faces shortages in the B stream and special education, with opposition party Groen estimating that hundreds of children may remain without a place.
  • Groen says the online application system leaves families to manage the search themselves once they fail to receive an assigned place.

Mohamed finally started secondary school, but only after his mentor took over the search herself. In May, none of the five schools he had listed could offer him a place. They were all full.

Martha Van den Bergh, who has volunteered as Mohamed’s mentor for years, began calling schools one by one. His name ended up on waiting lists, and the list of schools that still had openings offered very few options for the B stream. Mohamed eventually found a place, but his case reflects a broader problem that remains unresolved after the school year began.

The shortage is particularly severe in Antwerp’s B stream and special education. Nearly 2,000 children in Antwerp and the city’s southern suburbs were not assigned a place in a secondary school after the online “Sign up” procedure closed in May. The city has not released exact current figures, while opposition party Groen estimates that hundreds of children may still be looking.

This is unbelievable.

— Martha Van den BerghShe described the continuing shortage of places in Antwerp’s B stream.

The B stream serves pupils in the first stage of secondary education, in years 1B and 2B. It is intended for young people who prefer practical learning or need more support, and admission does not require a certificate of primary education.

Groen group leader Bogdan Vanden Berghe said the process works until the May application procedure ends. After that, he said, “Sign up” turns into “fend for yourself,” leaving parents to find a place while schools are also dealing with disorder. Van den Bergh said she received only one contact from the application service, when Mohamed was told he had no place. She then had to determine which schools still had openings, how each school handled registration and when free enrollment began.

Mohamed wanted a nearby school offering the B stream, preferably with a STEM program. During the free enrollment period, Van den Bergh said, none of the available schools met all of those expectations.

If you cannot find a place, 'sign up' turns into 'fend for yourself'.

— Bogdan Vanden BergheThe Groen group leader criticized the situation facing families after the online application process.
About this summary

Originally published by VRT NWS in Dutch. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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