Schools Pact

Belgium [1958]

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July 13, 2026

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The "Schools Pact" in Belgium, signed in 1958, was a compromise that aimed to resolve a long-standing ideological conflict over education. This controversy primarily involved the role of state-funded versus private (largely Catholic) schools.

The pact authorized the expansion of the state secondary education system while also guaranteeing conditional state subsidies for private schools. This agreement brought a period of ideological pacification to the country regarding educational policy. The pact was initiated by the new Social Christian prime minister, Gaston Eyskens, following the 1958 election. This issue had been a critical point of contention, particularly in the latter half of the 1950s, with Socialist-Liberal coalitions cutting subsidies to private schools and promoting state education.1

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Gaston Eyskens
…long-standing dispute by enacting the Schools Pact, which granted equal financial aid to public and parochial schools. In 1960, realizing that Belgium could no longer handle the political and economic problems of the Belgian Congo, he persuaded Parliament to grant independence to that colony. Belgium’s internal economic problems, as well…
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…long-standing dispute by enacting the Schools Pact, which granted equal financial aid to public and parochial schools. In 1960, realizing that Belgium could no longer handle the political and economic problems of the Belgian Congo, he persuaded Parliament to grant independence to that colony. Belgium’s internal economic problems, as well…
Read More