"We don't have textbooks; the way we teach is more experiential."

BrusselsBrussels is the only part of Belgium that is officially bilingual, and it has two distinct educational systems in the same city: French-speaking and Flemish-speaking. Studying in one educational system or the other doesn't vary much in terms of teaching methods, but the dominant language is obviously decisive, as strict language immersion is the norm. In fact, teacher Núria Borràs asserts that "more importance is placed on languages" than in our country—in both French and Flemish, as well as English—and emphasizes that "there is even still a strong tradition of studying Greek or Classical Latin."

Beyond the linguistic issue, the two systems are not very different. In fact, Borràs, who has been working at the Sint-Jan-Berchmanscollege school and secondary school (in the Flemish system) for 33 years, and Aina Raventós, a secondary school student at the Brussels Athénée Charles Janssens school and who also attended primary school at the Catalan schools, agree in pointing to the differences during primary school. "We don't do calculations in our traditional way; it's like the Montessori method, more experimental or experiential. For example, we learn to add and subtract with pieces," notes Raventós, who also explains that "they don't have textbooks," not even in secondary school.

Thus, Borràs points out that school supplies are free, and Raventós adds that, since they don't have textbooks, the schools are responsible for photocopies of the exercises they do in class. However, they don't use computers or mobile devices at the school. Furthermore, the teacher asserts that there are "far fewer state-funded or private schools than in Catalonia" and that, for this reason, in practice, schooling is free for the vast majority of families.

Access to extracurricular activities is also almost universal. "It's heavily subsidized," says Borràs. In this regard, Raventós points out that during primary school, students can sign up for chess, theater, or, among many other activities, music, for a very modest fee. At most, and in exceptional cases, the fee can exceed fifty euros per year.

Furthermore, during primary school, students can remain at school under the supervision of supervisors until 5:30 or 6:30 p.m. That is, according to Borràs, "until a time when most parents in Belgium have already stopped working." Although students don't engage in any specific activities during these hours, they have time to play or study and do homework. "At high school, this ends; they think we're old enough," says Raventós.

Another peculiarity of the Francophone education system that surprised Raventós at school is the fact that more than one grade is mixed into a single class. "For example, fifth and sixth graders were in class together," the student adds. So, although they don't do the same exercises and are obviously at different levels, students in two grades share a classroom, something that ends in secondary school, and classes are now separated by years.

Schedules and Holidays

The schedules and holidays are also different from those in the Catalan education system. The schedule is more condensed—less time in the playground—and they close earlier, around midday. Free days are more spread out throughout the year, and in the summer they have two months off (July and August). Easter is the main holiday. In contrast, French-speaking children have two weeks of vacation every two months (October, December/Christmas, February, and May). Lunch breaks are held between 12 and 1 p.m. Parents have the option of taking their children home for lunch, paying for their school lunch, or having them eat from a box.