Government wants admission tests for all HE studies

The Flemish government wants a compulsory admission test for all study programmes in higher education, not just a selected few, according to Ben Weyts, the Flemish minister for education, writes Maïthé Chini for The Brussels Times.

Many study programmes already require entry and calibration tests for students before they can start their higher education. “I would like to introduce admission tests for the entire higher education system, for all programmes,” said Weyts in the Education Committee of the Flemish Parliament. “As far as I am concerned, these admission tests should also have binding consequences,” he added.

Those consequences are not the ‘all or nothing’ kind, he said, reports De Standaard. A general admission test, like for medical studies, refusing to let a student who failed the test start the programme, is not what he had in mind. Students who do not pass the test will still be able to start the studies. However, Weyts does want compulsory remediation and further training. “If there are shortcomings before a student starts their education, they must be remedied,” said Weyts. “At least in the first year. Otherwise, of course, those tests are for nothing,” he added.
Full report on The Brussels Times site