The Department of Education and Training is part of the policy domain Education and Training of the Flemish government.
What does the department do?
The department supports the Minister of Education and Training in education policy. It formulates policy advice, prepares new policies, and develops policy projects. The department also contributes to policy implementation, develops regulations, and supports the education sector with subsidies. To stay up-to-date, it commissions and monitors scientific research, studies, and policy evaluations. It disseminates and publishes collected education data and statistics.
To carry out all policy tasks, support is needed. The department coordinates the education budget and communicates about education policy. For this, it relies on support services such as communication, personnel, logistics, ICT, and finance.
In everything the department does, its mission is central: "The Department of Education and Training contributes to quality education for everyone. It does so in dialogue with those who learn and those who make learning possible. In this way, we contribute to a learning and sustainable society."
From research to developing engaging campaigns, from developing policy projects to solving ICT problems: many hands shape the education of today and tomorrow.
For whom does the department work?
The department works with and for everyone involved in learning or making learning possible: from toddlers and pupils to students, trainees, teachers, principals, and boards. And it doesn't stop there: services and organizations are also part of the education sector. Think of centers for student guidance, centers for adult education, part-time art education academies, pedagogical guidance services, and educational umbrella organizations.
Together with the education sector, the department aims to tackle educational challenges. It seeks to improve the quality of education, address teacher shortages, and continue to train and professionalize teachers and school principals. Lifelong learning, educational opportunities for everyone, and digitalization are also themes the department works on daily.
