Belgium Education Crisis: Exam Cancellations Loom in Schools

French-speaking Belgium is in the grip of one of its most severe education crises in recent history, as a wave of teacher strikes, student protests, and civil disobedience threatens to derail the end-of-year examination period. The unrest, which has escalated over the past several weeks, stems from the passage of a controversial austerity decree that imposes €300 million in cuts to the education system of the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles (FWB).

The Trigger: A Controversial Austerity Decree

On the night of June 4-5, 2026, after a marathon 14-hour parliamentary session, the FWB Parliament definitively passed the “décret-programme” — a sweeping austerity plan championed by the MR-Les Engagés government coalition. The decree, backed by Minister-President Elisabeth Degryse (Les Engagés) and Education Minister Valérie Glatigny (MR), imposes significant savings on the education budget, including increased teaching hours, larger class sizes, and changes to career progression for educators, as reported by La Libre Belgique.

The government argues the cuts are necessary to address the FWB’s chronic budget deficit, which amounts to roughly €500 million in required savings by 2029 on a total budget of approximately €15 billion. Minister-President Degryse has described the situation as “a difficult reality: the budget,” while the decree also includes a 5% salary increase for future teachers trained over four years instead of three — a measure the government presents as an investment in attracting new talent.

Escalation: From Strikes to Exam Cancellations

Opposition to the decree has been building since early 2026. Teachers across French-speaking Belgium have engaged in rolling strikes, demonstrations, and school occupations. Major protests in Brussels have drawn tens of thousands of participants. A grassroots, non-union collective of teachers called “Mars Attacks!” — named provocatively after the 1996 film — has emerged as a leading force, coordinating actions across more than 110 schools, as documented by Le Soir.

The situation escalated dramatically in late May when the City of Liège became the first to announce the cancellation of end-of-year internal exams on May 29, followed by the Province of Liège on June 2. On June 4, a major protest at Brussels-Central station turned violent — a fire truck was attacked, fires were set, and police responded with tear gas. Ten people were arrested that day, and approximately 100 arrests followed during further unrest on June 5-6, as reported by BRUZZ.

The Battle Over External Exams

The most contentious issue now is the fate of external certification exams — the CEB (6th primary), CE1D (2nd secondary), and CESS (6th secondary) — which are mandatory under FWB legislation and taken by approximately 150,000 students. On June 9, the Mars Attacks! collective called on all participating schools to cancel these external exams and not transmit results to the FWB authorities, according to L’Avenir.

“Isolated, cut off from the realities on the ground, contemptuous — Madame Glatigny is no longer in a state to represent teachers, educators, and school actors,” the collective declared, also calling for the minister’s resignation.

Minister Glatigny has firmly refused to cancel the external exams, arguing they are legally required and essential for ensuring all students are evaluated according to the same criteria. As RTBF reported, she has warned that schools refusing to administer exams could face sanctions, including the loss of up to 5% of their subsidies. “The cancellation of these exams would further penalize students already in difficulty,” she stated.

Deeper Roots: A System Under Strain

Analysts and commentators have noted that the current crisis reflects deeper structural problems within the French-speaking education system. As De Morgen put it in its June 13 analysis: “The problem is fundamental, we’re down to the bone.” The FWB education system has long struggled with some of the highest grade repetition rates in the OECD, a strong correlation between socio-economic background and educational outcomes, and chronic teacher shortages.

The crisis also highlights the persistent North-South divide in Belgium. The Dutch-speaking Flemish community has watched the unrest unfold, with some commentary framing it as another example of French-speaking Belgium’s governance challenges. The VRT reported that the protest movement shows no signs of abating, with Mars Attacks! announcing daily actions in different Walloon cities for the next two weeks, as covered by VRT NWS.

What’s Next

With the decree now law and protests continuing, the immediate question is whether the external exams scheduled to begin June 18 (CEB) and June 19 (CE1D and CESS) will proceed as planned. The government has signaled no willingness to back down, while the Mars Attacks! collective has vowed to continue resistance. Teachers in Liège captured the mood of the movement with their declaration: “They voted a decree… We decree resistance.”

For students, the uncertainty is palpable. However, education authorities note that class juries can make final promotion decisions based on year-long assessment, not solely on exams. As the standoff continues, the end of the school year will be closely watched across Belgium — and beyond, as the story has drawn attention from international media including Dutch public broadcaster NPO Radio 1.

The crisis raises fundamental questions about the future of public education in French-speaking Belgium and whether the government’s austerity agenda can be reconciled with the demands of a system and a profession in distress.