Belgium/ 8.3 Arts and cultural education  

8.3.1 Arts education

Flemish Community

In Flanders, responsibility for culture and education are separated in 2 different departments within the Flemish government. Fulltime (vocational) education and part-time art education are subsumed under the Education Department. Some of these institutions are funded directly by the Flemish Community; others are free, subsidised institutions. The Culture Department of the Flemish government, subsidises various art education organisations and initiatives. These include:

• youth organisations (under the Flemish Parliament Act on Youth Policy);
• organisations for socio-cultural adult work (under the Flemish Parliament Act on Socio-cultural Adult Work); and
• local organisations (under the Flemish Parliament Act on Local Cultural Policy).

Specific art education organisations and educational services within museums, theaters and the like, are covered specifically by the Flemisch Parliament Act on Art. Irrespective of the Act under which they are subsumed, art education organisations are united in the "Federatie van Organisaties voor Kunsteducatie" (FOK, Federation of Organisations for Art Education). Culture and education meet in Canon Cultuurcel, the cultural unit of the Education Department, set up to give culture a place within the school environment. In 2005, the Ministry of Culture initiated a large-scale participation study. The results showed that levels of cultural participation largely reflect levels of schooling and education. The family situation also has an influence on the way people participate in culture. There is no doubt that art education will gain in significance in the future as a driving force towards cultural participation.

French Community

Performing arts

At the end of the 1960s, a funding programme was set up to sponsor theatre and musicals in schools. This policy contributed to the development not only of artistic creativity but also of its dissemination of information of their works and of the theatre in general within schools.

Literature and public libraries

Writers, aiming at students, have drawn up programmes of sensitisation to Belgian Francophone literature. Pilot projects develop collaborations between schools and public libraries. Schools are also associated to yearly events, such as "la fureur de lire" and "la langue en fête".

There is currently an education reform process underway, which will redefine its mission in a modern society and demonstrate the importance of cultural activity in the schools. Education and culture are within the Ministry of the French Community. Co-operative objectives and projects are currently being organised.

A specific programme, which associates the departments of culture and education, aims at the development of cultural practices at school, specifically in positive discrimination schools (socially underprivileged public). This programme focuses on activities relative to literature, arts, audiovisual, creativity and continuing education sectors.

German-speaking Community

Artists and schools co-operate within certain projects. There are no systematic promotion measures.