The civic integration test Social Orientation (also known as the civic integration exam) is part of the new Flemish civic integration programme introduced last year for newcomers. The exam consists of two parts. One is 30 questions on practical issues around education, living and working, among others. To pass that, a participant must get 16 questions correct.
In addition, there are 11 questions on “fundamental norms and values”. For example: are two men allowed to marry each other? Or: does someone who is incurably ill have the right to euthanasia? Here, the limit for passing was 6 correct answers. That will now be stricter: a student needs 9 correct answers, or 82 per cent.
“People need to have a good understanding of that, because they often come from a very different cultural background and one needs to know what kind of society one ends up in,” said Flemish Minister for Integration Bart Somers in “De ochtend”. “Those basic values are fundamental to guarantee cohesion in our society and to give people a real prospect of a future in Flanders. The bar may really be a bit higher there.”
Somers also points out that the questions are “fairly simple” and that participants first take a 60-hour course before taking the exam.
**What does the pathway entail?**
The integration pathway is compulsory for non-EU citizens arriving in Flanders. EU citizens and Ukrainian refugees can participate on a voluntary basis. Those who do not pass can participate again, but the course and exam are paid for.
The civic integration programme further implies that participants have to take Dutch language classes and pass an exam on it. They also have to look for work through the VDAB. Finally, they have to go out for 40 hours with a buddy to practise their Dutch and get to know our society even better.
Anyone here that did this? And can tell what the experience was like?
Also, if I read correctly: all refugees have to do this unless they’re Ukrainian?
I’ve got a feeling a lot of Vlaams Belangers would fail this exam.
My wife followed the integration course 7 years ago and it was a joke. It’s good that there are some reworks.
Very strange that they would put the euthanasia one in the exam imo. I’m fully for it but I don’t think that it’s fully ingrained in flemish culture yet imo.
Well, I’m curious what everyone here thinks about these supposedly “fairly simple” questions. Without looking it up, do incurably ill people have the right to euthanasia? Put your guess in spoilers.
​
Answer:>!No, there exists a right to ask for euthanasia, but no right to euthanasia itself.!<
​
Did you get it right? I asked my parents and they didn’t. Do you think your parents would get it right? And do you think this is essential knowledge about our fundamental values?
My wife (South America) did it yesterday and it seemed fairly easy to her but she did agree there were questions that made her doubt due to the way they were asked.
For example (not 100% cettain about the wording)
– To have electricity in your new home, do you need to do something?
Do nothing, go to city hall.
She mentioned a few others that made me scratch my head as well. Like I can see either depending on what exactly they mean.
In other words, it’s bullshit.
Having to take this kind of test is such a joke for all but the most uneducated coming here.
I have friends who came to Belgium because they accepted a job offer here that genuinely don’t understand the point of a test that just states the obvious other than wasting everyone’s time.
There’s a difference between knowing the fundamental values and practicing them. Too bad you can’t test for that.
Now you are even less tolerated to have unenthusiastic opinions about company cars and lintbebouwing?
The test now consists of one question: “Is het de schuld van de sossen? – Yes/No”
What a brilliant idea. This will surely make those foreigners integrate and accept our values!
I’ve also got a brilliant idea. Perhaps we should make people that want to drive a car, also take some kind of exam. And they have to answer questions like “how fast can you drive on the motorway?”. Just think about it, in a generation we will have eliminated speeding completely!
I’m valuating my idea at a million euros, which probably makes it cheaper than whatever it cost to update these integration exams, and I’m open to investors! Get in while you still can!
They can make these tests and the part around fundamental values as harsh as they want, it won’t magically turn a random Eritrean migrant into a real Belgian. It’s the sort of thing you don’t learn in a sterile classroom or determined by the results of an exam.
13 comments
The civic integration test Social Orientation (also known as the civic integration exam) is part of the new Flemish civic integration programme introduced last year for newcomers. The exam consists of two parts. One is 30 questions on practical issues around education, living and working, among others. To pass that, a participant must get 16 questions correct.
In addition, there are 11 questions on “fundamental norms and values”. For example: are two men allowed to marry each other? Or: does someone who is incurably ill have the right to euthanasia? Here, the limit for passing was 6 correct answers. That will now be stricter: a student needs 9 correct answers, or 82 per cent.
“People need to have a good understanding of that, because they often come from a very different cultural background and one needs to know what kind of society one ends up in,” said Flemish Minister for Integration Bart Somers in “De ochtend”. “Those basic values are fundamental to guarantee cohesion in our society and to give people a real prospect of a future in Flanders. The bar may really be a bit higher there.”
Somers also points out that the questions are “fairly simple” and that participants first take a 60-hour course before taking the exam.
**What does the pathway entail?**
The integration pathway is compulsory for non-EU citizens arriving in Flanders. EU citizens and Ukrainian refugees can participate on a voluntary basis. Those who do not pass can participate again, but the course and exam are paid for.
The civic integration programme further implies that participants have to take Dutch language classes and pass an exam on it. They also have to look for work through the VDAB. Finally, they have to go out for 40 hours with a buddy to practise their Dutch and get to know our society even better.
Translated with http://www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
——
Anyone here that did this? And can tell what the experience was like?
Also, if I read correctly: all refugees have to do this unless they’re Ukrainian?
I’ve got a feeling a lot of Vlaams Belangers would fail this exam.
My wife followed the integration course 7 years ago and it was a joke. It’s good that there are some reworks.
Very strange that they would put the euthanasia one in the exam imo. I’m fully for it but I don’t think that it’s fully ingrained in flemish culture yet imo.
Well, I’m curious what everyone here thinks about these supposedly “fairly simple” questions. Without looking it up, do incurably ill people have the right to euthanasia? Put your guess in spoilers.
​
Answer:>!No, there exists a right to ask for euthanasia, but no right to euthanasia itself.!<
​
Did you get it right? I asked my parents and they didn’t. Do you think your parents would get it right? And do you think this is essential knowledge about our fundamental values?
My wife (South America) did it yesterday and it seemed fairly easy to her but she did agree there were questions that made her doubt due to the way they were asked.
For example (not 100% cettain about the wording)
– To have electricity in your new home, do you need to do something?
Do nothing, go to city hall.
She mentioned a few others that made me scratch my head as well. Like I can see either depending on what exactly they mean.
In other words, it’s bullshit.
Having to take this kind of test is such a joke for all but the most uneducated coming here.
I have friends who came to Belgium because they accepted a job offer here that genuinely don’t understand the point of a test that just states the obvious other than wasting everyone’s time.
There’s a difference between knowing the fundamental values and practicing them. Too bad you can’t test for that.
Now you are even less tolerated to have unenthusiastic opinions about company cars and lintbebouwing?
The test now consists of one question: “Is het de schuld van de sossen? – Yes/No”
What a brilliant idea. This will surely make those foreigners integrate and accept our values!
I’ve also got a brilliant idea. Perhaps we should make people that want to drive a car, also take some kind of exam. And they have to answer questions like “how fast can you drive on the motorway?”. Just think about it, in a generation we will have eliminated speeding completely!
I’m valuating my idea at a million euros, which probably makes it cheaper than whatever it cost to update these integration exams, and I’m open to investors! Get in while you still can!
They can make these tests and the part around fundamental values as harsh as they want, it won’t magically turn a random Eritrean migrant into a real Belgian. It’s the sort of thing you don’t learn in a sterile classroom or determined by the results of an exam.
Good!!