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I The story of teaching Classics in Belgium

There are some studies on the evolution of education in Belgium, but so far little attention has been paid to the evolution of teaching Classics. Besides a few small and fragmentary articles there is no general overview on the way in which Classics teaching in secondary education has evolved during the past two centuries. There is still a lot of research to do and not enough concrete information yet concerning this subject.

II The modern secondary school system in Belgium

During the past decades there have been four major state reforms (the first in 1970, the last in 1993), which have turned Belgium into a federal state with three communities: a Flemish, a French and a German community. Due to these reforms education is no longer, as it used to be, the responsibility of the federal government, but of the communities. Within this article we will restrict ourselves to the Flemish Community, which is partner in the CIRCE project.

Compulsory education
Education in Flanders is compulsory. It starts on the 1st of September of the year in which a child reaches the age of 6 and lasts for twelve full school years. After six years of primary education a child goes to secondary school at the age of 12. The secondary education also lasts for six years, divided into three stages of two years. From the second stage there are four types: general, artistic, technical and vocational secondary education. In all types there are a lot of different study disciplines between which a pupil can choose.

Educational networks
In Flanders there is publicly and privately run education. Publicly run education is organised by the Flemish Community, by the provinces or by the cities and municipalities. About 70% of all schools are privately run, of which the greatest part is Catholic. These privately run schools are also subsidised by the Flemish Community. Although there may be some small differences between the four educational networks, the basic rules are imposed by the Flemish government. These basic rules concern the structure and the organisation of education (e.g. three stages, educational types, age of compulsory education, etc) and the attainment targets (i.e. minimum objectives that should be aimed for and achieved by the majority of pupils).

III Classical subjects within the secondary system of Belgium

Latin Pupils can study Latin from age 12 during the whole of secondary education, i.e. for six years. From the second year they can continue to study only Latin or they can combine it with Greek. In the third stage of secondary school there are four possible combinations: Latin & Greek, Latin & modern languages (French, English, German and Spanish), Latin & sciences (biology, chemistry and physics) and Latin & mathematics (with 6 or 8 teaching periods of maths a week). According to the educational network, the study discipline and the year, Latin is taught for 3, 4 or 5 teaching periods of 50 minutes a week.

The first stage is principally dedicated to acquiring a foundation of Latin vocabulary and grammar; besides this, attention is paid to classical culture and to reading (adapted) Latin texts. From the third year (or fourth at the latest) Latin authors are being read in their original form. There may be some differences between the educational networks, but on the curriculum in most schools are Caesar, Ovid, Virgil, Horace, Livy, Tacitus and Cicero; drama, Roman law and ancient philosophy are also compulsory.

There is no system of central examination. Every teacher is responsible for the assessment of his own pupils. Of course this does not mean that assessment is completely arbitrary. The attainment targets, the curricula and the educational guidance services provide the teachers with instructions and suggestions on how to evaluate. Two or three times a year (always before the Christmas and the summer holidays, in the first and second stage of privately run education mostly also before Easter) schools organise examinations, in which the material of the past months is tested.

Greek
Pupils can study Greek from the age of 13, starting in the second year of secondary education, i.e. for five years. They can choose to study only Greek or they can combine it with Latin. In the third stage of secondary school there are three possible combinations: Greek & Latin, Greek & sciences (biology, chemistry and physics) and Greek & mathematics (with 6 or 8 teaching periods of maths a week). According to the educational network, the study discipline and the year, Greek is taught between 2 and 5 teaching periods of 50 minutes a week.

The teaching system for Greek is very similar to that for Latin. In the first two years (i.e. the second and third year of secondary education) most attention is paid to acquiring a foundation of vocabulary and grammar, but also to Greek history and culture and to reading (adapted) Greek texts. After that Greek authors are read in their original form. While publicly run schools read these authors in a more thematic way (i.e. not by author, but by theme), in privately run education there is a kind of canon including e.g. Herodotus, Xenophon, Homer, the lyricists, Demosthenes (or in general rhetoric), the tragedians and Plato.

Ancient Civilisation
In some schools of the privately run educational network there is a subject ‘Ancient Civilisation' as such, which is taught for 1 teaching period a week. But normally all there is to tell about the classical history and culture is integrated in the lessons of Latin and Greek. The subject ‘History' (taught for 2 teaching periods a week) also dedicates a full school year in the first stage to the history of Antiquity (Egyptians, Greeks and Romans). .

Some numbers
The total secondary school population in the Flemish Community consists of about 440,000 pupils. Nearly 75,000 of them follow education in the Flemish Community educational network (Gemeenschapsonderwijs), of whom about 16,000 pupils study Classics (Greek can count on the interest of only 800 pupils). Considering also the other educational networks there must be some 64,000 pupils studying Classics in secondary education (about 5,000 of them choose to study also Greek).

IV How to become a teacher of Classics in Belgium

It is possible to study Latin at a higher level outside university. These studies last for three years and lead to a bachelor degree. Such teachers can only work in the first stage of secondary education, but there are only a few of them. In this case the initial teacher training is part of the instruction.

In practice nearly all Classics teachers are masters. They have studied Latin and Greek at university during four years. Three Flemish universities offer classical scholarship: Brussels, Ghent and Leuven. The main courses in these studies are Latin and Greek language and literature, ancient history, philosophy, religion and archaeology.

The initial teacher training for masters is also organised by university. It consists of a one year programme. A greater part of this teacher training is taken by more specific modules, with theory and practical exercises on teaching Classics. Students also have to do teaching practice in a secondary school.

The way in which to apply for a job in education depends on the educational network. In the Flemish Community education there is a kind of centralised system. The publicly run schools are divided into 28 groups. Teachers must apply for a job in each school group. In privately run education normally this happens directly in the individual schools.

After being for some years a ‘temporary' teacher, a tenure to a post is possible, on condition that the job is vacant. One must be very lucky, because for some teachers this can last for a lot of years.

V Further Information
Bibliography and Internet links

A very good and systematic overview of the educational system in Flanders is the booklet Education in Flanders. A broad view of the Flemish educational landscape, edited in 2008 by the Education Department of the Ministry of the Flemish Community. It can also be consulted on the Internet address: http://www.ond.vlaanderen.be/publicaties/?nr=107.

The Internet addresses of the Classics departments of the three Flemish universities that offer classical scholarship are as follows:

- Brussels: http://www.vub.ac.be/TALK/?q=node/44
- Ghent: http://www.flwi.ugent.be/latijnengrieks
- Leuven: http://www.arts.kuleuven.be/iks/eng/

The aims of the Flemish Classics Teachers' Association (Vereniging van Leerkrachten Oude Talen) are to promote the interest in classical languages and culture, to improve the quality of Classics education, to support the Classics teachers and to defend their interests. Its website is http://www.vlot-vzw.be.