Why are Flemish school laptops costing far more than Demir’s reference prices?
A survey published on 24 August 2026 found that 30 of 47 responding Flemish secondary schools requiring laptops charge more than the Flemish government’s reference prices. Parents should compare the full contract with the official price table, ask the school for a written justification and request instalments or social support before signing.
A laptop can add hundreds of euros to the start-of-year bill, and long rental contracts may outlast a pupil’s remaining years at school. Families need enough information to distinguish a justified course-specific device from an unnecessarily expensive package and to find payment support when the cost is unaffordable.
A survey published by on 24 August 2026 found that 30 of 47 responding Flemish secondary schools which require laptops charge parents more than the reference prices introduced under Education Minister . The finding does not establish how every school in prices its devices, but it gives families a practical reason to inspect the schoolreglement, request a breakdown of the hardware and service costs, and question any unexplained premium before accepting a purchase or rental contract.
The Vlaamse overheid’s official table sets an indicative total of €575 for a basic 14-inch Windows laptop, including €100 for three years of warranty and additional service. Its other totals are €275 for a basic Chromebook, €475 for an iPad and €250 for a refurbished Windows laptop. These are reference prices rather than an absolute ceiling, but a school choosing a more expensive device must explain how the additional functions fit its pedagogical project or the needs of a particular study programme.
The newspaper survey illustrates how far actual bills can depart from that benchmark. One parent was offered a laptop for €918.80 or a 46-month rental totalling €1,104, while another school quoted €799 for a student beginning a biotechnology-oriented STEM course. also reported a €1,399 device at Heilig-Hartcollege in Heist-op-den-Berg; the school said it had chosen equipment intended to last six years, whereas the government benchmark includes three years of service and warranty. At Heilig-Hart&College in Halle, the reported range was €628 to €687 depending on the warranty period.
Those examples are not directly interchangeable. A six-year package, a high-performance STEM machine and a basic three-year device have different specifications and risk profiles. That is precisely why parents need the itemised figures: the official guidance says the schoolreglement should separately state the device price, the service price, the total amount payable and the expected lifespan. A monthly figure alone can disguise an expensive overall commitment, especially when a pupil will leave school before a four- or six-year contract ends.
## Why schools say the target is difficult
School leaders and ICT coordinators argue that a classroom device is more than a consumer laptop placed in a schoolbag. Their contracts may cover accidental-damage procedures, rapid replacement, administration, battery performance, protective equipment and several years of support. The Liga van ICT-coördinatoren was quoted in the survey as saying that a changing technology market made fixed reference prices difficult to sustain. Schools also say the cheapest brands may not remain dependable throughout a pupil’s course.
The government’s position is that higher prices need educational justification, not merely a preference for premium equipment. According to the , features such as a touchscreen, stylus, folding display or powerful graphics card should be used regularly in lessons if parents are expected to finance them. The total reference amount remains directional, and a longer service period can be adjusted proportionally, but administrative charges attached to instalments must be reasonable, proportionate and transparent.
This tension follows the first Digisprong, launched during the pandemic under former education minister Ben Weyts. reported in 2021 that the programme allocated €375 million and was intended to provide a device for pupils from the fifth year of primary school. By 2023, VRT found that schools had adopted widely different systems—loan, rental, hire-purchase or direct purchase—while the original funds were nearly exhausted and the first devices were approaching replacement age.
Demir subsequently changed direction. reported in May 2025 that primary schools and the first stage of secondary education would move towards shared ICT infrastructure, such as computer rooms, laptop carts and lending services. Individual devices remain possible from the third year of secondary school, particularly where a course requires them, but the new places more emphasis on controlled costs and considered classroom use.
## What parents can check
Start with the documents supplied by the school, usually in Dutch in Flemish education. Look for toestelprijs, servicekost, totaalprijs, levensduur, garantie and sociale correcties. Ask which applications the course actually requires, whether the quoted device exceeds the official specification, what happens after a breakdown, who owns it when payments end, and what early termination costs apply if the pupil changes school.
The Vlaamse overheid says a school cannot force parents to buy from the school or one designated supplier. Families may obtain a compatible device elsewhere if it meets clear minimum technical requirements supplied in advance. Before doing so, however, confirm in writing that the alternative will work with the school’s software, security and examination systems.
If the amount is difficult to pay at once, request a payment plan. The government’s school-cost guidance says families can discuss instalments with the school’s designated contact person and that some schools operate savings arrangements or solidarity funds. Eligible households receiving the Groeipakket may also receive the annual school bonus and, subject to the conditions, a school allowance. Some steden en gemeenten offer additional instruments such as an onderwijscheque or kansenpas, so parents should check the website or social service of their gemeente or commune; local schemes and eligibility rules vary.
Language and school network matter. These reference prices belong to the Flemish education system, including Dutch-language schools in Brussels. They should not automatically be applied to French-language schools governed by the . An expat family in a bilingual municipality should first establish which community runs the school and use that community’s rules and complaint route.
Parents who still consider a charge excessive should first raise it with the director or an elected parent representative on the schoolraad. If the explanation remains inadequate, directs them to the at . A formal complaint must generally be sent by registered letter within 60 calendar days of learning about the disputed facts; the commission also accepts requests for advice by email at [email protected].
The immediate question is whether the 30 schools in the survey can document educational or service-related reasons for exceeding the benchmarks. The larger test will be enforcement: whether transparent contracts, parental scrutiny and decisions by the turn Demir’s reference prices into meaningful protection, or leave them as numbers that many schools regard as unattainable.
Impact
Regional — The rules apply to Flemish education, including Dutch-language schools in the Brussels-Capital Region. French-language schools fall under the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles and have a different policy and complaints structure.
What it means for you
Before accepting a school laptop package, compare its full three-year cost with the official totals: €575 for a basic Windows laptop, €275 for a Chromebook, €475 for an iPad or €250 for a refurbished Windows laptop. Check whether insurance, support, repairs or accessories explain the difference and ask for the school’s justification in writing. Confirm the contract length against the pupil’s remaining school years. Families may purchase another compatible device when it meets stated minimum requirements. If affordability is a problem, request instalments or social support; unresolved eligible disputes can go to AGODI’s Commissie Zorgvuldig Bestuur.
Opposing perspectives
- Flemish government and cost-control advocates
The reference prices give families a benchmark and require schools to explain why ordinary pupils need costlier equipment. Premium functions should be charged to parents only when they are demonstrably and regularly used for the school’s pedagogical project or a particular course.
- School directors and ICT coordinators
Schools argue that dependable classroom packages include warranty, support, administration and durability that ordinary retail comparisons overlook. Some say changing hardware markets and longer service periods make the published reference totals difficult or impossible to meet.
- Parents facing high school bills
Families want transparent totals, contracts that match the pupil’s remaining school years and meaningful protection against unnecessary specifications. A low monthly rental can still produce a four-figure cost, while changing schools may create ownership or termination problems.
Who, where and what
Key people, places and terms in this story
Belgian region whose education system and secondary schools are covered by the framework.
Region where Dutch-language schools fall under Flemish education rules.
Flemish education minister associated with the reference-price framework for school devices.
Authority responsible for French-language education, which has a different policy and complaints structure.
Newspaper reporting the August 2026 survey of school laptop prices.
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Flemish education minister associated with the reference-price framework for school devices.
Belgian region whose education system and secondary schools are covered by the framework.
Region where Dutch-language schools fall under Flemish education rules.
Framework governing reference prices and school choices for pupil devices.
Authority responsible for French-language education, which has a different policy and complaints structure.
Newspaper reporting the August 2026 survey of school laptop prices.
Flemish knowledge centre that publishes the official mobile-device reference prices.
Official Flemish government website hosting reference-price and school-cost complaint information.
Flemish education agency connected to the formal handling of eligible school-cost complaints.
AGODI commission to which eligible unresolved school-cost disputes may be submitted.
Newspaper reporting on schools exceeding the reference prices and their affordability concerns.
Public-service news outlet that reported on Flemish school laptops, including in August 2021.
Device category with a €575 basic-device or €250 refurbished-device three-year reference total.
Device category with a €275 three-year reference total.
Device category with a €475 three-year reference total.
Sources & evidence
- View sourceHet NieuwsbladPrimaryprimary· nieuwsblad.be· 24 August 2026Retrieved 26 August 2026· 39 days ago· Dated
- View sourceDe Standaardcorroborating· standaard.be· 24 August 2026Retrieved 26 August 2026· 39 days ago· Dated
- View sourceKenniscentrum Digisprong — Vlaanderen.beofficial· vlaanderen.beRetrieved 26 August 2026
- View sourceVlaanderen.be — complaints about school costsofficial· vlaanderen.beRetrieved 26 August 2026
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This briefing was prepared with AI assistance and reviewed by a Belgium Impulse editor before publication. methodology.