More and more non-native speakers want to learn Dutch | local

This year, 18,707 foreign-speaking students are taking Dutch lessons at the Catholic Education Centers for Adult Education (CVO) in Flanders. This is approximately 19 percent more than in 2022. LEGO Basic Education Centers recorded a 15 percent increase this year compared to last year. Community adult learning centers have seen the number of non-native speakers taking Dutch lessons rise to 35,700 students in 2022.

“Several factors are the basis for this strong growth,” says Eddy Demerseman, educational consultant at Catholic Education Flanders, in De Sondag. “War refugees from Ukraine have spread throughout the country, and there is also an increasing general influx of refugees. We also notice that more and more people are attaching importance to knowing our language. This also brings challenges. We also feel a shortage of teachers,” says Demerciman. In addition, there is also the issue of classroom availability, and then there is the number of teaching hours we can organize.”

Flemish Education Minister Ben Wiets (N-VA) responds in the weekly that budgets have increased to €43 million this academic year. “It is true that the influx of refugees, but also those seeking wealth, has become enormous. We expect the federal government to intervene in this matter.”