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Social Systems of Belgium
School system
Education in Belgium is often regulated and financed by the three different communities, namely French community, Flemish community, and German community. Each community has its own school system, even if they do not differ much from each other. The federal government has very little responsibility for schooling in Belgium. They manage the funding for the different communities and that they decide what age it is mandatory to go to school and schooling is mandatory between the ages of 6-18 or until the student has graduated from secondary school.
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In Belgium, there are preschools for children under the age of six. This is not compulsory but 90% of all younger children go to preschool. There are no formal lessons or assessments here. Everything that is taught is done through play. Children start primary school when they are six years old and this is compulsory. Here the students read the basic subjects and focus on learning to read and write. Language teaching can look a little different depending on which school the student is studying. Flemish schools in Brussels and schools located close to language borders must offer French lessons from the first or second year. The other schools begin with their French lessons when the students study their fifth and sixth year. In the French community, students must instead learn Dutch or English, and in the German community, students are required to learn French. Preschool and primary school are free in Belgium. The schools also offer free course materials.
When the students have turned twelve, they start secondary school and here they have to pay for their own course literature. But otherwise, school and education are free. When students start secondary school, they get to choose different specializations called ASO, TSO, BSO and KSO. In ASO, students study subjects that prepare them for higher education. This education is very broad, and they study theoretical subjects such as language, science, economics, mathematics, and humanities.
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When the students have finished their studies in secondary school, they can choose to study a higher education such as universities and high school. But to be able to do this, students in Belgium must buy their education. Once they have entered the system, they start collecting points from the courses they study. They can then use the points to pay and get a place on other courses.
There are three different types of schools in Belgium:
1) schools owned by the different communities,
2) public schools that are funded and organized by provinces and municipalities.
3) schools that students mostly attend in Belgium are free schools organized by an organization affiliated with a Catholic church. This type of school has the most schools in the country and the largest number of students.
TSO is the technical secondary education and here they study the same subjects as the students at ASO. The difference is that they do not read as much theoretically but more practically. BSO is a specialization that is more practical and work specific. After this education, students can work as carpenters, car mechanics, bricklayers and more. KSO is a general and broad education that focuses on the practice of art. Here the students get to practice acting, dancing and painting. Secondary school is compulsory for students in Belgium and they complete these studies after six years. The different specializations give students a great choice and they have a chance to influence their own education. Students who follow the specializations BSO and KSO can also supplement their education so that they can study higher studies after this education.
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Health system
Belgium is among the countries in the world that requires inhabitants to have a health care plan, which means that about 99% of the Belgian population have health insurance. This means that whenever someone is injured, they have access to doctors, hospitals and other facilities as the health care covers most of the costs. The many health care providers in Belgium offer choice to the people and increase the accessibility and quality of service. Inhabitants are able to choose which provider to use.
Belgians themselves only have to pay less than 15% of the overall costs of a doctor’s visit. This out-of-pocket payment aims to reduce the number of unnecessary visits at doctors and hospitals.
Spending on health per capita in Belgium is generally higher than the average money spend in Europe. In 2015, the average person in Belgium spent nearly 3600€ on health care. However, a graph by WHO shows that this amount has already increased to nearly 4000€ per capita per year in 2018. This increase can thus also be seen in the overall expenditure of the health in Belgium which in 2018 was nearly doubled compared to the amount in 2013. According to WHO, Belgium spent nearly 46,000€ on health in 2018.
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In Belgium, there are three main risk factors among the population. These include that 19% of the population in 2017 smoked and 14% was overweight, which both are slightly below the European average. Nevertheless, the highest risk factor in Belgium is Binge drinking with 28% and lies about 1/3 above the average of European.
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The mandatory health care in Belgium and the easy access provided for inhabitants has helped to increase the life expectancy in Belgium over the last decades. In 2015 with 81.1 years the life expectancy was even higher than the European average of 80.6 years.
The increase in life expectancy and aging of the population however also increases the amount of people who do not work anymore and the challenged of having responsibility for elderly people in Belgium.
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Video about health care in Belgium for expats:
Political system
Belgium is a hereditary constitutional monarchy system, which means that the constitution has accepted the king as the head of state, however their is no sole reign. Since the 21st July of 2013, Philippe is been the King of Belgium. He was born in 1960 and is now 60 years old. His wife, born Mathilde Marie Christine Ghislaine d'Udekem d'Acoz, is the first Queen of Belgium who was also born there. They have been married since 1999 and have four children together. Philippe is the 7th monarch of Belgium since the have gained independence in 1830.
