By Delphine Cordier

Municipal Councillor

Education is a fundamental right, not a budget adjustment variable. Yet, under the leadership of the MR-PS-Les Engagés majority, education policy increasingly resembles an accounting exercise disconnected from the realities on the ground. It is both useful and necessary to restate an obvious truth: free education is not a form of “social assistance” for a few, but a universal right that concerns every citizen. Every family already contributes to it through taxation, according to their means.

The so-called “Arizona measures” are supposed to strengthen this principle of free education, but without providing sufficient resources. This is more of a political statement than a genuine commitment. The budgetary restrictions imposed on schools in Etterbeek come on top of an already challenging situation. In recent months, the press has also reported growing concerns among school principals and teachers, who regret the lack of consultation and consideration at a time when several controversial reforms are being imposed by MR Minister Valérie Glatigny.

Several Ecolo-Groen representatives in Etterbeek are teachers themselves. Having spent many years in the classroom, they know firsthand the realities of the profession and its daily challenges. Today, they openly express their deep concern. Together with them, Ecolo-Groen will continue to fight to ensure that all teachers in the Wallonia-Brussels Federation have the resources they need to provide high-quality education in good conditions, and to preserve a school system that remains genuinely accessible to everyone.