Flanders has allocated 10 million euros to its five universities to develop a regional artificial intelligence framework for the education sector. The initiative, requested by Flemish Education Minister Zuhal Demir, aims to establish safe pathways for AI adoption as a quarter of primary teachers and nearly half of secondary teachers already report using these tools in their classrooms.
Building a secure framework
The universities will collaborate with universities of applied sciences, research institutions, and private-sector partners to draft the plan. The focus centers on helping students use AI critically and safely while ensuring classroom instruction keeps pace with labor market demands. A core requirement is that all AI applications must operate within a secure digital environment, integrating with existing school systems while strictly protecting user data.
Supporting teacher workloads
Beyond student guidance, the framework will examine practical ways AI can reduce administrative burdens on educators. The tools under consideration are designed to assist with lesson preparation, provide faster student feedback, and help identify learning gaps. Minister Demir emphasized that schools will retain full autonomy over their pedagogical choices.
"They make pedagogical choices based on their own project, their students and their team," Demir said. "Flanders ensures safe pathways and clear safety rules, so that schools can make stronger choices without having to assess legal, technical and ethical risks individually."
"Our children must learn to work with AI without their data, attention and thinking being controlled by systems over which we have no control," Demir said. To support this transition, educators exploring practical methods for lesson preparation and feedback can explore resources designed to reduce administrative workloads, such as the AI Learning Path for Teachers.
Broader regional strategy
This framework is part of a larger Flemish government vision document promoting AI use across education, business, and government. The broader plan also includes creating a High AI Council to advise the region on public sector adoption and labor market impacts. Minister President Matthias Diependaele highlighted the foundational role of schools in this strategy.
"For us, education is the place where we determine how Flanders will deal with artificial intelligence," Diependaele said. "If we want everyone to be able to participate, we must start there: by giving young people and teachers the knowledge and skills to use AI consciously, safely and with confidence."
Why this matters for education professionals
Teachers and administrators in Flanders will soon have a standardized, government-backed structure for evaluating and deploying AI tools without bearing the legal and technical risks alone. As schools prepare to integrate these systems, understanding regional safety rules and data protection requirements will be essential for maintaining classroom autonomy. Educators looking to stay current on these classroom integration strategies can follow updates on AI for Education.
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