The recovery of allowances for studies improperly received in higher education is abandoned, announced Thursday the government of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation at a press conference organized after the Council of Ministers. The abandonment of recovery concerns the academic years 2016-2017 to 2019-2020. In addition, students who have already partially or fully reimbursed their study allowance obtained for the years 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 will be reimbursed. The Minister of Higher Education, Valérie Glatigny (MR), was also responsible for proposing a structural solution from the next academic year.
“Students need to know more quickly whether they are eligible for a scholarship or not,” she said.
In addition, the question of granting allowances to students “who are no longer on a success trajectory” will be raised.
The government of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation was called to settle this Thursday the imbroglio born around the requests addressed to several hundred students of higher education to reimburse the study allowances which they received when they had not actually straighter.
Last December, the government decided to suspend these reimbursement requests, the time to carry out a legal and budgetary analysis of the file.
“The government has taken stock of the plight of some students,” said Glatigny.
For the 2016-2017 academic year, the minister identified 866 recovery files for a total amount of just over 305,000 euros (of which some 111,000 have already been recovered), she said in parliament on Wednesday.
For 2017-2018, the number of students concerned amounts to 843, for a total amount of 981,000 euros (including nearly 76,000 euros already recovered).
As for the 2018-2019 academic year, the number of files rose to 916 for an amount of nearly 1.2 million euros, none of which has been recovered to date.
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