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Brussels Governance Monitor

Education: childcare places, school dropout and Cocof/VGC tensions

Ongoing

This issue is progressing normally within the current framework.

Official source
Recently verified ·

The RPD provides for creating childcare places, tackling school dropout, strengthening vocational education, and coordinating between Cocof, VGC and Communities for Brussels education policies.

YouthFamiliesNewcomersPrecarityBilingualism
In brief (easy read)

The Region wants more childcare places, help young people stay in school, and better coordinate French-speaking and Dutch-speaking education policies.

Key figures

~33%of children aged 0-3 (EU target: 33%)

Childcare coverage rate

~15%of Brussels youth (18-24)

School dropout

RPD commitments

The Regional Policy Declaration addresses education and training from the perspective of regional and community competences exercised in Brussels:

Early childhood

  • Creating childcare places — investment plan to increase capacity, coordinated with ONE (FWB) and Opgroeien (Flemish Community)
  • Financial accessibility — maintaining and strengthening regional subsidies for childcare facilities

School dropout

  • Anti-dropout action plan — coordination between Region, Cocof, VGC and both Communities
  • Actiris Jeunes — integration measures for young people leaving school without a diploma
  • Vocational education — strengthening technical and professional streams, aligned with Brussels labour market needs

Bilingualism and coordination

  • Promoting FR/NL bilingualism — in schools and vocational training
  • Cocof/VGC coordination — harmonising French-speaking and Dutch-speaking education policies in Brussels
  • School mobility — transport and accessibility of schools across the 19 municipalities

Education governance in Brussels

Education in Brussels falls primarily under the Communities (FWB and Flemish Community), but the Region intervenes through:

  • Cocof — transferred competences in French-speaking education (continuing education, lifelong learning)
  • VGC — Dutch-speaking competences in education, culture and welfare
  • Actiris / Bruxelles Formation / VDAB Brussel — vocational training and youth integration

Sources and methodology

The commitments documented above come from the official RPD text and corroborating press sources covering the government agreement of 12 February 2026. Indicators (childcare coverage, dropout) come from ONE, Opgroeien, IBSA and Eurostat.

Inherited context (June 2024 – February 2026)

Education governance in Brussels, split between Communities and community commissions (Cocof, VGC), remained without new regional coordination.

Read full context

What this means in practice

The RPD provides for creating childcare places, a plan to tackle school dropout (~15% of 18-24 year-olds) and coordination between Cocof and VGC for education policies.

What BGM does not say

This card does not predict whether the government can solve the childcare shortage or school dropout. Education primarily falls under the Communities — the Region has a coordination and investment role through the community commissions.

Sources

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