Belgium’s French-speaking universities have criticised a controversial tuition fee increase approved by parliament, warning that students are being asked to pay more for a chronically underfunded system.
The rise that will take fees over €1,000 annually will “in no way benefit universities”, according to Anne-Sophie Nyssen, chair of the Rectors’ Council of the French-speaking universities of Belgium (CRef).
“Its sole purpose is to help reduce the deficit in the accounts of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation by shifting a greater share of the cost of studies on to students and their families,” she said, referring to Belgium’s French Community government.
Her comments came after parliament approved a controversial education package on 5 June, following protests in Brussels that resulted in violent clashes between police and demonstrators.
As well as increasing tuition fees from €835 (£720) to €1,194 at the six French-speaking universities, the package also includes wider changes affecting secondary and primary education. While the demonstrations mostly focused on the latter, students’ unions also mobilised against the tuition fee hike.
