17 september 2020
19:45
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The number of pupils in general secondary education is rising sharply. This is evident from the September counts of the educational umbrella organizations. There are several explanations, but the corona crisis is the most important.
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More and more pupils are opting for general secondary education. Their share is around 45 percent of high school students. Both Catholic Education Flanders and GO! Community education is seeing an increase. In Catholic education, there are almost 3,500 more pupils than last year, while the number of pupils in technical and vocational education remained about the same.
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In community education, the number of pupils in aso will increase by 2,100. That is an increase of 8.6 percent compared to last year. Scientific programs in particular are doing well. TSO and out-of-school care are also growing, but by 4.3 and 5.5 percent respectively.
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The share of students in the ASO has been on the rise for some time, but this year the increase is stronger than usual. Catholic education suspects that in the absence of physical open days, students are more likely to choose what is familiar. Perhaps a lot more decisive fewer B and C certificates have been issued. Corona and the long period of distance learning gave many students the benefit of the doubt.
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Two thirds fewer C certificates were issued in the ASO than in the previous year, which meant that fewer students had to sit. The number of B certificates also decreased, whereby students are allowed to go to the next year, but are excluded from certain study options. As a result, the waterfall effect to technical and vocational education remains limited this year.
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Evil Evolution
‘It is a bad evolution, but inevitable’, says education expert Wouter Duyck (UGent). Certainly in secondary education, many pupils have been unable to go to school for months. The first, third, and fifth high school returned to school for only a few days. although it was possible to take exams, many schools have chosen not to.
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This is a bad evolution. We must absolutely avoid attesting without exams this year.
