Brussels Families Confront Higher School Costs and Service Pressures from Education Funding Shifts

Brussels households are dealing with a 35% rise in higher education tuition fees set by the French Community, moving from €835 to €1,194, alongside similar adjustments at Flemish universities for non-EU students driven by spending cuts from the Flemish education minister.

Direct Effects on Household Budgets

Parents in Brussels now face elevated expenses when enrolling children in post-secondary programs, particularly those from non-EU backgrounds attending Flemish institutions. The simultaneous cuts of €86.7M in Wallonia-Brussels Federation compulsory education and €63.5M in Flemish secondary education have reduced available resources for daily school operations, leaving families to absorb more costs for materials and support services.

Strain on Teachers and Classroom Stability

Secondary teachers across Brussels schools are required to deliver mandatory extra teaching hours without compensation under the reforms, while contract staff face the end of permanent employment status by 2027. These measures coincide with ongoing challenges of absenteeism, truancy and dropout rates among the 92% of local children enrolled in schools run by the Wallonia-Brussels Federation or Flemish Communities.

Targeted Local Support from Community Bodies

The VGC has directed nearly €5 million toward expanding extracurricular places and allocated €750,000 to help vulnerable families cover school-related expenses for the 2026-2027 year in Dutch-language Brussels schools. These steps aim to offset some pressures created by the broader austerity package approved by the FWB Parliament on June 5, 2026.

Residents can review fee schedules and support eligibility directly through the relevant community education administrations to plan for the coming term. Persistent high rates of early school leaving continue to affect neighbourhood-level outcomes in Brussels.