Author
Schooling is optional for children between 3 and 5 years old, and mandatory for all children between 6 and 18 in Belgium, irrespective of their residence status. Education is mostly free until 18 years old. Any additional costs related to meals or school visits are paid by Fedasil for asylum applicants staying in a reception centre.
In primary schools (6-12 years old), children of asylum applicants mostly join the general classes of local schools. In secondary schools, classes with adapted course packages and teaching methods – the so-called ‘bridging classes’ (‘DASPA’, in the French speaking Community schools) and ‘reception classes’ (‘OKAN’, in the Flemish Community schools) – are organised for children of newly arrived migrants and asylum applicants. Those children are later integrated in regular classes once they are considered ready for it.
In practice, the capacity of some local schools is not always sufficient to absorb all asylum-seeking children entitled to education. During the school year of 2022-2023, hundreds of non-Dutch speaking children were on a waiting list to get access to the Flemish OKAN-classes.[1] These numbers concern all non-Dutch speaking students and not only asylum-seeking children. Although no numbers were available for 2024, several sources reported shortages in certain regions.[2]
During their stay in a 1st phase reception centre, children of asylum-seeking families and unaccompanied minors do not yet go to school, because the duration of stay in this centre is only supposed to be short and they are likely to have to switch schools after their move to a 2nd phase centre, which is neither in the interest of the child or the school. However, this practice has been criticised since in the context of the reception crisis, that started in 2021 and is ongoing on the moment of writing (March 2025), the average duration of stay in a first phase reception centre has increased up to an average of 49 days (55 days in the NOC’s).[3]
Transfers of families to another reception centre or to a so-called ‘open return place’ after having received a negative decision might also entail a move to another (sometimes even linguistically different) part of the country, which can have a negative impact on the continuity in education for the children. In that respect, it is noteworthy to recall that courts have endeavoured to guarantee asylum-seeking children the right to education. In a ruling of 6 May 2014, for example, the Labour Court of Charleroi found that the transfer of a family to the family centre of the Holsbeek open return place (in Dutch speaking Flanders) would result in a violation of the right to education since it would force the children to change from a French speaking school to a Dutch speaking one.[4]
In reception centres, all residents can participate in activities encouraging integration and knowledge of the host country. They have the right to attend professional training and education courses.[5] The regional Offices for Employment organise professional training for asylum applicants who are allowed to work with the purpose of assisting them in finding a job. Additionally, they can enrol in adult education courses for which a certain level of knowledge of one of the national languages is required, but not all regions equally take charge of the subscription fees and transport costs.
The costs of transportation to school and trainings are in principle paid by the reception centres (this is part of the funding Fedasil gives). However, due to the fact that the quality norms are not a public document or stipulated in a royal decree (see section Conditions in Reception Facilities) this varies in practice among the different reception facilities.
[1] Vrt Nws, ‘Hundres of foreign speaking youngsters might wait until September to go to school’, 3 April 2023, available in Dutch at: http://bit.ly/3zBBNHn.
[2] GVA, ‘200 students on waiting list for OKAN-class in Antwerp: “Every week, 10 extra students are added’, 10 May 2024, available in Dutch here; Nieuwsblad, ‘Shortage of OKAN-classes in Lier, guardian calls to action: “Education is a right that is currently not respected”’, 13 March 2024, available in Dutch here.
[3] Information based on complaints Vluchtelingenwerk Vlaanderen has received via it’s Infolijn, by asylum-seeking families staying in the NOC’s, social assistants and schools in Brussels; March 2025.
[4] Labour Court of Charleroi, Judgment of 6 May 2014, available at: http://bit.ly/1F5Hyqq.
[5] Article 35 Reception Act.