Evaluation of the operating budget of boarding schools in Flanders
In short: Commissioned by the Flemish Department of Education and Training (Departement Onderwijs en Vorming, DOV), Möbius supported the 2025 evaluation of the operating budget of boarding schools in Flanders (officially: ‘onderwijsinternaten’). Because some boarding schools were in a precarious financial situation, the final report had to be ready sooner. Read how Möbius went from data to a well-founded basis for policy choices in four phases.
What was the strategic challenge?
The Decree of 16 June 2023 created, for the first time, a full-fledged framework for boarding schools in Flanders. All boarding schools now fall under a single statute, with a focus on high-quality accommodation and good support for boarders. The new funding mechanism puts the emphasis on staffing: resources were reallocated from the operating budget to staff deployment.
The decree stipulated that the operating budget had to be evaluated by 31 December 2025, specifically in relation to:
- the organisational feasibility of the boarding schools
- their financial commitments
- their infrastructure plans
Because of the precarious financial situation of some boarding schools, the evaluation was brought forward. The final report had to be ready by 30 June 2025 at the latest. The Department partnered with Möbius to collect and analyse the necessary data and to support the civil service working group as a full expert member in answering the policy and research questions.
How did Möbius approach the evaluation?
The project ran in four phases: start-up, data collection, data analysis and recommendations.
Phase 1: Start-up and context
Möbius began by studying the existing context and documentation in depth. After a kick-off meeting with the civil service working group, Möbius conducted in-depth interviews with the Department, the Agency for Educational Services (AGODI), representatives of GO! (the Flemish Community's education network) and the umbrella organisations Katholiek Onderwijs Vlaanderen (KOV), Provinciaal Onderwijs Vlaanderen (POV) and Onderwijsvereniging van Steden en Gemeenten (OVSG).
Phase 2: Data collection
Through the Department and AGODI, Möbius collected financial data and characteristics of the boarding schools. A representative sample of boarding schools was then surveyed in more depth about their organisation, income, expenditure and infrastructure.
Phase 3: Data analysis and visualisation
All collected information was consolidated and, where needed, visualised in Power BI.
Phase 4: Scenarios and recommendations
Based on these visualisations, scenarios were developed and discussed in workshops with the civil service working group. Together, an answer was formulated to the policy and research questions.
What was the result?
Möbius held the pen for the final report and, always in dialogue with the Department, ensured a clear, understandable and accessible result. This enabled the Minister of Education and their cabinet to take appropriate action afterwards.
Read the full report (in Dutch) on the Kennisplatform Onderwijs: Evaluatie van het werkingsbudget voor de onderwijsinternaten
