On 29 August 2023, the rectors of Belgium's French-speaking universities (CRef) made public their priority demands with a view to the forthcoming elections and future governments.
Some of these demands - those addressed to the federal government - have been discussed with the Vlaamse Interuniversitaire Raad (VLIR), the CRef's counterpart for Flemish universities.
The first request concerns the refinancing (or mitigation of the refinancing) of universities which, since 2006, have seen their student numbers grow by 63%, while their operating grants have only increased by 18%. But many of the CRef's other demands and proposals are aimed at enabling universities to carry out their three core missions - teaching, research and service to society - under better conditions, by overcoming a number of legal obstacles (to the mobility of researchers outside the EU, to joint European diplomas and to the equivalence of secondary education diplomas) and by taking account of contemporary issues and challenges, These include the influx of non-resident students, the growing number of students living in precarious conditions, the urgent need to address the environmental and societal transition, the situation of university hospitals, the need to speed up the renovation of academic buildings and student accommodation, the crucial importance of promoting research, the security of knowledge, etc.
The precariousness and mental health of students is a tangible concern, "which has increased since the pandemic and even more so now - it's the lag effect that is well known in psychology", says Rector Anne-Sophie Nyssen. "The Covid crisis has amplified problems that already existed, and many students have completely decompensated. That's why, with the support of the public authorities, we need to make the aid and support tools that have been created in the universities permanent: psychological follow-up, social assistance, etc."
The CRef also wants to speed up consideration of the many challenges of transition. "We are calling for the first Transition Impact Fund to be set up to get the ball rolling in our teaching programmes. We are at a tipping point with climate change and its consequences for society as a whole. This implies a greater commitment on the part of universities and our students, and the next legislature must take this into account," adds Anne-Sophie Nyssen.
The CRef's Memorandum places great emphasis on enhancing the status of research, increasing the resources of the WEL Research Institute (in particular WelChange and Wel-T alongside Welbio) and ensuring the long-term viability of structures such as technology platforms, "access to which has become a vital factor in the competitiveness of both universities and businesses, as well as in the attractiveness of our ecosystem to the best researchers at international level".
"We also need the largest possible increase in the resources allocated to major maintenance of university buildings, because the essential energy renovation of our buildings is costly", says Anne-Sophie Nyssen.
For the Wallonia-Brussels Federation:
For the Wallonia-Brussels Federation and the Federal Government:
For the Wallonia-Brussels Federation and the regions (Wallonia and Brussels):
For the Federal Government:
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