Can French-speaking schools give pupils more of Vlaanderen’s entrepreneurial spirit?
André Grenier, the head of Wallonie-Bruxelles Enseignement, has called for French-speaking pupils to acquire a stronger taste for entrepreneurship, taking inspiration from Vlaanderen. No system-wide reform has been announced, so parents should ask individual schools how they teach initiative, financial literacy and project work.
The proposal could influence what pupils experience beyond conventional lessons, especially project work, financial literacy and contact with working life. Its value will depend on whether schools receive sufficient staff time and resources and whether access extends beyond establishments that already have strong external networks.
, administrator-general of (WBE), called for French-speaking schools to give children a stronger taste for entrepreneurship, citing the approach developed in , in an interview published by De Standaard on 25 August 2026. His intervention establishes a direction of travel rather than a new curriculum: WBE has not announced a compulsory entrepreneurship course, implementation timetable or common assessment. For families choosing a school, the practical lesson is therefore simple: ask what pupils actually create, organise and manage, rather than relying on a school brochure’s promise to encourage “initiative”.
Grenier is sometimes described loosely as the top man in French-speaking education, but his remit is more precise. He leads WBE, the public education provider organised by the . According to reporting by L’Avenir, it encompasses about 500 establishments, 200,000 learners and 30,000 staff, making it the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles’ largest organising authority. It does not control every French-speaking school: also has publicly subsidised schools run by communes and provinces, as well as the large subsidised free network that includes many Catholic schools.
The distinction matters because Grenier can shape priorities inside WBE but cannot single-handedly rewrite all French-speaking education. Curriculum reference frameworks, government decisions, school networks and individual establishments all influence what reaches a classroom. His comparison with is consequently best read as a challenge to school culture: allow pupils to spot a problem, devise a response, work with others, handle uncertainty and learn from an unsuccessful attempt.
## What does the Flemish model look like?
has spent years building an ecosystem around “ondernemend onderwijs”, or entrepreneurial education. The Flemish Agency for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, , supports partners including , and . Their activities range from creative projects for younger children to mini-companies and student-enterprise schemes in secondary and higher education.
says more than 87,000 pupils and students take part in its network partners’ activities annually. Its latest figures, based on RSVZ and other administrative data, also show that 27,346 young people had used ’s student-self-employed status since its introduction in 2017. By 2025, 22% were working as self-employed people in their main occupation, 14% in a secondary occupation and 25% remained student entrepreneurs. Those figures describe participants in a voluntary legal status, not proof that one school system produces better entrepreneurs, but they illustrate the infrastructure surrounding young enterprise in .
The underlying idea is broader than teaching children to register a company. defines entrepreneurial learning around initiative, recognising opportunities and creating value. Its design guidance favours authentic tasks with several possible solutions. A class might develop a product, plan a neighbourhood activity or pitch a solution to wasted food; bookkeeping and sales can enter later, when age and course level make them meaningful.
That breadth is important. If “children’s taste for entrepreneurship” is reduced to commercial vocabulary or admiration for start-ups, it will invite understandable resistance. If it means agency, teamwork, basic economic understanding and the confidence to turn an idea into a tested project, it fits more naturally alongside civic, technical and creative education.
## What should parents ask a school?
’s linguistic structure makes the answer local. The federal government portal Belgium.be confirms that education belongs to the Flemish, French and German-speaking Communities. In , families may encounter Nederlandstalig onderwijs and enseignement francophone within the same commune/gemeente, but the schools follow different community frameworks, calendars and support systems. A WBE school is only one category within the French-speaking offer.
At an open day or meeting with the direction/directie, parents can ask four concrete questions: Does every pupil complete a team project with a real audience? Are financial literacy and budgeting taught, and in which year? Does the school work with local non-profits, tradespeople, companies or programmes such as ? How are creativity, cooperation and reflection assessed when a project does not succeed?
Language deserves a separate question. .be notes that French-speaking primary schools must offer a second language from the third year, with Dutch, English or German among the possibilities, while French becomes compulsory from the fifth primary year in and earlier in designated municipalities with language facilities. Families in Etterbeek, Schaerbeek/Schaarbeek or the City of should ask whether project work crosses the language boundary in practice—for example through a Dutch-speaking partner—or merely appears in a language lesson. Parents outside Brussels should consult the school finder for the relevant Community rather than assuming that the commune/gemeente determines the school network.
## The broader tension
Grenier’s proposal arrives during a strained period for French-speaking education. De Standaard and BRUZZ have reported continuing opposition from teachers and unions to savings and workload measures as the 2026-27 school year begins. That context may limit schools’ capacity to introduce labour-intensive projects, which require preparation, external partners and staff time. It also explains why teachers may resist a new ambition unless it comes with training and resources.
Entrepreneurship organisations and employers will see a different urgency: pupils need experience of initiative, collaboration and economic decision-making before entering a changing labour market. Teacher constituencies and education researchers, however, can reasonably insist that entrepreneurial projects must not displace literacy, mathematics or equal access, or turn classrooms into marketing channels. The real policy test is therefore not whether French-speaking education can copy , but whether it can adapt useful methods without importing slogans or widening differences between well-connected schools and those serving more disadvantaged communities.
What happens next remains open. Grenier has placed entrepreneurial learning on WBE’s agenda, but WBE still needs to specify whether that means pilot schools, teacher training, partnerships or formal curriculum proposals. Parents can already compare schools on observable practice. The more consequential evidence will come later: which pupils gain access, whether teachers receive time and support, and whether initiative becomes an everyday learning method rather than an occasional mini-company week.
Impact
Regional — The comparison places Vlaanderen’s established VLAIO-supported ecosystem beside a less clearly structured French-speaking approach. Brussels is the principal meeting point of the two systems, where families can encounter Dutch- and French-language schools within the same municipality but must navigate separate education authorities.
Local — Brussels is where the comparison becomes most tangible. Families living in the same city or municipality may choose between Dutch- and French-language schools operating under separate Community authorities, with different programmes and external partnerships. Grenier’s remarks do not immediately alter enrolment, timetables or course requirements. Parents comparing Brussels schools should therefore examine each establishment’s current provision for project work, financial literacy, entrepreneurship activities and links with employers or outside organisations rather than assume a uniform difference between the two language systems.
What it means for you
No immediate action, fee or legal change follows from Grenier’s comments, and no implementation date has been announced. Parents choosing or reviewing a school should ask the establishment directly whether pupils undertake entrepreneurship projects, receive financial-literacy teaching, meet entrepreneurs or work with outside partners. Brussels families comparing language systems should also verify which Community and organising authority govern each school. Teachers and school leaders should watch for a formal WBE programme, funding decision, staff-time allocation or timetable before treating the proposal as policy. Pupils should not expect a new compulsory entrepreneurship course at this stage.
Opposing perspectives
- Entrepreneurship-education advocates
VLAIO and its partner organisations treat entrepreneurship as a broad set of transferable abilities: taking initiative, recognising opportunities, cooperating and creating value. They argue that authentic projects can give pupils experience that conventional classroom exercises do not provide.
- French-speaking teachers and trade unions
Teachers and unions confronting savings, workload changes and prolonged reform pressure are likely to judge any additional ambition by its staffing, preparation time and educational value. Their immediate concern is that a new priority without resources could become another obligation for already stretched schools.
- Equity-focused parents and educators
Families and educators concerned with equal opportunity may welcome practical learning while warning that externally supported projects often favour schools with stronger professional networks. They will want common access, protection from commercial influence and evidence that core learning is not displaced.
Who, where and what
Key people, places and terms in this story
City where families may encounter Dutch- and French-language schools governed through separate education systems.
Country in which education powers belong to the language Communities rather than the federal government.
Head of Wallonie-Bruxelles Enseignement who called for stronger entrepreneurial learning in French-speaking schools.
Region whose established entrepreneurial-learning ecosystem Grenier cited as an example.
Belgian language Community responsible for Dutch-language education.
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Head of Wallonie-Bruxelles Enseignement who called for stronger entrepreneurial learning in French-speaking schools.
Region whose established entrepreneurial-learning ecosystem Grenier cited as an example.
City where families may encounter Dutch- and French-language schools governed through separate education systems.
Country in which education powers belong to the language Communities rather than the federal government.
Belgian language Community responsible for Dutch-language education.
Public organising authority of the French Community, covering about 500 establishments and 200,000 learners.
Belgian language Community responsible for French-language education policy and public education structures.
Belgian language Community responsible for German-language education.
Flemish Agency for Innovation and Entrepreneurship supporting entrepreneurial-learning networks.
VLAIO-supported partner providing entrepreneurship activities for pupils and students.
VLAIO-supported partner connecting education and entrepreneurship.
VLAIO-supported educational partner within Vlaanderen’s entrepreneurship ecosystem.
Sources & evidence
- View sourceDe StandaardPrimaryprimary· standaard.be· 25 August 2026Retrieved 25 August 2026· 38 days ago· Dated
- View sourceVLAIO — young entrepreneurship figuresofficial· vlaio.be· 21 August 2026Retrieved 25 August 2026· 42 days ago· Dated
- View sourceGovernment of Wallonia — appointment of André Grenierofficial· galant.wallonie.be· 7 November 2025Retrieved 25 August 2026· 329 days ago· Dated
- View sourceBelgium.be — education and language Communitiesofficial· belgium.beRetrieved 25 August 2026
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This briefing was prepared with AI assistance and reviewed by a Belgium Impulse editor before publication. methodology.