The findings present a troubling picture, uncovering elements in the analysed materials that include antisemitic content, significant bias, historical inaccuracies, and factually unsupported polarising narratives.
Shaping Minds, Shaping Society, published in September 2024, is the first study to investigate educational materials concerning the Middle East conflict in Belgian schools. The report provides a thorough analysis of teaching documents used in both Dutch-speaking and French-speaking schools across the country.
The study was conducted by IMPAC, an international non-profit organisation based in Brussels. It was reviewed by experts in history, international law, radicalisation, antisemitism, and social statistics.
Mark Elchardus: “Concerning”
Emeritus Professor Mark Elchardus, a sociologist and author who wrote the foreword to the research publication, observes that IMPAC’s analysis clearly demonstrates that “a substantial portion of the teaching materials undermines nearly all educational policy objectives.” He further emphasises, “These materials are funded, either directly or indirectly, by the federal government. There is an urgent need for stricter oversight of what is being funded, what is being provided to schools and teachers, and what is actually used in classrooms.”
The creators of this teaching material are not only teachers but often individuals without teaching qualifications, particularly from NGOs. Audiovisual materials are produced by VRT and RTBF. Even Enabel provides educational resources for classroom use, under the supervision of the Minister for Development Cooperation, whose materials also breach educational regulations according to the report.
IMPAC suggests that the methodology used in the study could also be applied in neighbouring countries, where, as far as is known, no similar research has been conducted.
Summary and/or full report
Please find here a summary of the study Shaping Minds, Shaping Society with a QR code at the bottom to download the full report. (The report is available in English, Dutch, and French.)
