2026

€200 million for the renovation of university college and adult education buildings : 23.01.2026

The Government of the French Community has approved the ranking of applications submitted by the Organising Authorities of higher education (outside universities) and adult education under the second call of the exceptional school building investment plan.
From the call launched in January 2024, 47 admissible applications were analysed, representing nearly €400 million in potential subsidies.
Following assessment and evaluation by the administration, 21 projects were selected, representing a total of €200 000 000.

Principle of neutrality in schools : A harmonised framework and strengthened neutrality of appearance : 09.01.2026

The Government of the French Community has approved, in second reading, a preliminary draft decree aimed at clarifying, strengthening and harmonising the application of the principle of neutrality in schools.
The decree unifies the definition of neutrality within the Education Code by merging provisions that previously differed depending on whether education was Public, Government-aided public  or Government-aided private. It also applies to adult education and part time secondary arts education.
The text also introduces neutrality of appearance for school staff, through a ban on wearing visible signs of conviction, regardless of belief or origin. This measure covers all school roles and activities linked to the institution : teachers, schoolheads, educators, administrative and paramedical staff, maintenance workers, cooks, trainees and all other professional categories active within these schools. The ban also applies to CPMS guidance centres, boarding schools and outdoor activity centres linked to them.

2025

Pupil mental health : a strengthened partnership between Education and Public Health : 16.09.2025

Young people’s mental health has become a major concern. Anxiety, school disengagement, depression and, in the most serious cases, suicidal behaviour : warning signs are increasing. In a social and international context that can be worrying, many young people express a loss of meaning and growing difficulties in looking to the future with confidence. Psycho Medico Social Centres (CPMS), which play a frontline role in supporting pupils, are seeing a continuous rise in requests for psychological support and are now reaching their limits.
In view of this, the Minister for Education and Adult Learning and the Federal Minister for Public Health are joining forces to ensure rapid, accessible and high quality support. Collaboration between the CPMS and first line psychologists will be strengthened. The objectives are :

• Free access to psychological sessions for young people up to the age of 23 ;
• Enhanced support for pupils, parents and teachers, individually or in groups ;
• A coordinated approach, respectful of each actor’s missions, centred on the pupil.

Clarifying roles and reinforcing complementarity

• The CPMS remain the key point of contact within schools, with a central role in detection, listening and guidance ;
• First line psychologists provide short term clinical psychological support.

This structure is designed to avoid overlapping responsibilities : CPMS do not provide therapy and first line psychologists do not intervene in schools without going through them. Schools thus retain their educational mission without shifting towards systematic therapeutic roles.

Change of name from ‘Social Advancement Education’ to ‘Adult Education’ : 27/03/2025

The decree changing the name from ‘Social Advancement Education’ to ‘Adult Education’ has been adopted. This new name is non-stigmatising and is already being used by several institutions. This new name marks a decisive step in the modernisation and promotion of this type of education, which, with more than 135,000 learners, is the largest provider of adult education and training in French-speaking Belgium. 
This name better reflects the mission of this type of education, which is distinguished by its inclusive approach, aimed at making education accessible to all adults, regardless of their situation. Adult Education thus enables people with little or no schooling to obtain their first qualification, while offering retraining and upskilling opportunities for those who already have qualifications. 
This name also highlights the approach specific to adult education, which meets the specific needs of a population whose expectations and motivations differ from those of pupils and students in initial education. This teaching method, which differs from that of compulsory education but also from that of colleges, universities and higher arts schools (which also cater to adults), makes it possible to adapt educational pathways to the realities of students returning to education, taking into account their personal and professional challenges, while valuing their life experience. 
Although the name is changing, adult education will continue to be aimed at all students who are no longer subject to full-time compulsory schooling and will continue its mission of professional, social, cultural and academic integration.

January 2025: Adult Education Contract 2035
Renamed Adult Education, social advancement education aims to align with the needs of learners, our society and socio-economic actors. 
Technological upheavals, ecological transition, increased demand for skills... To meet these challenges, the Skills for Life project: Des Compétences pour la Vie : Contrat 2035 de l’Enseignement pour Adultes(.pdf) (Contract 2035 for Adult Education) was created. 
It aims by 2035 to reposition Social Advancement Education, renamed Adult Education, as a well-known and recognized, quality, lifelong education aligned with the needs of learners, our society and socio-economic actors. 
Contract 2035 is based on a Vision 2035 which sets out the ambitions, namely: enable every adult to access diploma studies, teach skills that are long-term, provide continuing education, teach the prerequisites (French as a foreign language, basic skills, etc.) that make it possible to register for diploma training and make it sustainable to resume studies. 
To achieve these ambitions, the contract is based on nine projects, including quality, steering, administrative simplification, financing, guidance and strengthening partnerships with businesses and other educational institutions. 
With more than 135,000 students enrolled in 2023-2024 and 150 institutions, Adult Education is the largest adult education and training operator in French-speaking Belgium. 
It offers all adults the opportunity to return to education, to obtain a diploma, to reorient themselves professionally or to specialise. 
In its inventory, Contract 2035 highlights the strengths, weaknesses and opportunities of Adult Education. It highlighted the quality of the teaching staff, which numbered between 2,500 and 2,800 full-time equivalents.  
Building on its strengths, Adult Education gives itself ten years to change.

2024

There have been no reforms to date in this area.