Education is becoming less accessible. Make sure to cast your vote on December 9
Flemish higher education is undergoing radical change. Those who do not fit the profile of the “traditional student” are often the first to feel the impact. Working students, single parents, people with an immigrant background, job seekers, and other adults seeking a higher education degree are increasingly encountering financial, administrative, and practical barriers. At the same time, regulations are becoming stricter, and the focus is shifting toward fast-track academic and career pathways. For many, this makes the path to a degree longer, more difficult, or even impossible.
That is why “Together for a Diploma” is organizing its first annual forum on the right to education on Wednesday, December 9, 2026. At this event, students, volunteers, mentors, partners, the steering committee, and supporters will come together to give voice to the right to education.
During the evening, Mieke Valcke, an education advisor at SERV, will outline the changes taking place in higher education. We’ll hear from students who experience the consequences of these changes on a daily basis. Their stories will serve as the starting point for discussions about what needs to improve, which barriers need to be removed, and what policy changes are needed to make higher education more accessible to everyone once again.
Your ideas and experiences are more than welcome. The insights from the forum will form the basis for the future policy agenda of “Together for a Diploma”: a shared agenda for more equal educational opportunities and a stronger right to learn.
In addition, parallel training programs are being offered for “Together for a Diploma” students on active citizenship and for mentors on volunteer engagement.
On the program
6:00 p.m. Welcome reception with soup
6:30 p.m. Welcome and plenary opening with testimonials from students and Mieke Valcke, education advisor at SERV
7:00 p.m. Parallel sessions
- Discussion on Policy Recommendations and Actions for Accessible Higher Education
- Active Citizenship
- The Importance of Volunteer Engagement
8:00 p.m. Group feedback session & reception
8:30 p.m. End
Practical
📅 Wednesday, December 9, 2026
🕕 6:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
📍 Zinneke, Masuiplein 13, 1000 Brussels
🚶 A 10-minute walk from Brussels-North, near the Masui tram stop
💶 Participation is free, but registration is required via this link.
Education is a right, not a privilege. If we want higher education to remain accessible to everyone, we need to pool our experiences, ideas, and proposals. Join us in thinking, speaking, and having a say in policy.
Sign up and help build a stronger movement for the right to learn.