“All schools have their place in Luxembourg”
Paper jam: From a historical point of view, our school system has integrated the image of the ideal trilingual citizen, fluent in Luxembourgish, French and German. How can this ideal be achieved today, when many children speak neither Luxembourgish nor German at home?
Claude Meish: The Luxembourgish language, but also multilingualism, is part of our identity and has always been reflected in our school and education system. However, the very strong immigration and the diversification of the population over the past 50 years present a real challenge for the education of children. Every year we educate about 3,000 children who started their education in another country, another school system with another language, it must guarantee a certain continuity of education. Only a third of children grow up in families where Luxembourgish is the first language spoken at home. Our traditional school system is no longer adapted to this situation, with literacy in German. In my opinion, and according to many experts from the University of Luxembourg or elsewhere, this is problematic. Pupils who are then directed to traditional secondary schools are mainly Luxembourgers. Those who are oriented towards the preparation path are mainly of another nationality. This concerns me, and I want to change this situation.
Paper jam: You were mayor of Differdange for a long time. Was this public European School created on your initiative?
Claude Meisch: I have been beaten for a long time as mayor for the city of Differdange, the third city in the country, very multicultural, very cosmopolitan, to host a high school. Almost all the students, after the fundamental, had to leave the city to continue their education elsewhere. And the former government, with the former minister, had planned to set up a classical high school there. Knowing the population, I knew that very few students from Differdange would have turned to the classical and that the building was in danger of remaining empty. When I became minister, I instructed the services to review this project and to offer me something that would better correspond to the local population. It was then that the idea of creating an Accredited European School was born.
Paper jam: What are the languages in which children can be literate in these public European Schools?
Claude Meisch: There are three languages in which one can be literate: German, French or English. And then, students can choose a different language as a foreign language. One can, for example, choose literacy in English or French, and then choose Portuguese as the first language, in order to reach the highest level there. This is the main difference compared to the traditional system, where literacy is done in German, then comes French, and then English, and possibly other foreign languages. In principle, we try to develop up to the baccalaureate the same level in German, French or English. The European Schools offer pupils a more flexible language course.
Paper jam: At the start of the next academic year, we will have six public European Schools, in Differdange, Junglinster, Mondorf, Clervaux, Mersch and in the city of Luxembourg. Do you plan to open others in the country?
Claude Meish: There are discussions, yes, but the important thing was to first offer an offer in all regions of the country. We have insisted a lot on opening the one which will be on the territory of the city of Luxembourg, with 70% of non-Luxembourgish residents. In addition to the public European Schools, other existing public international programs, such as the A grades of the Lycée Michel Lucius, the international baccalaureates offered by the Athénée, or the Lycée technique du Center or other schools.
Paper jam: It’s a hell of a competition for international private schools, where fees start at 11,000 or 19,000 euros a year…
Claude Meish: All schools on their place in Luxembourg. We are experiencing enormous population growth. For each school, there are enough pupils, even for the paying international schools asking for a certain fee.
Paper jam: How much does the Luxembourg State subsidize them?
Claude Meish: Up to 40% of the average cost per student in the public system.
Paper jam: What place is reserved for the Luxembourgish language? How well will the children who complete their baccalaureate in the public European Schools learn Luxembourgish?
Claude Meisch: I know a lot of people who grew up in Luxembourg and who thought about the European School in Kirchberg or something else, and who today don’t speak Luxembourgish at all. Their parents thought they would only stay in the country for two or three years, or they are still there. This is the reason why we have strongly insisted that the public European Schools include the learning of Luxembourgish in their curriculum, from the first year of primary school to the third year of secondary school. It is compulsory for all students. And let’s not forget that, in the relay houses and the education and reception services, the Luxembourgish language is often the dominant language. There are Luxembourgish staff, activities in Luxembourgish.
Paper jam: How do you specify the control of the quality of teaching in these establishments?
Claude Meisch: Accredited European Schools are subject to regular evaluation, which is not the case for our public schools. Their dossier has already had to be accepted by the Board of Governors of the European Schools. They are regularly inspected. There is an annual inspection report from the Board of Governors of the European Schools, verifying the quality of teaching, but also compliance with the curriculum and the concept of the European Schools. In addition, we are considering close collaboration with the University of Luxembourg, in particular the Luxembourg Center for Educational Testing. The idea is to integrate the public European Schools and other international schools in Luxembourg into the school monitoring system. Several tests involving all students are offered. The key is to have a horizontal view of skills development.
Paper jam: What about the competition compared to the traditional system? Don’t these public European schools think they are overshadowing the traditional system? Aren’t you afraid that all Luxembourgers will want to register?
Claude Meish: I believe it is also an advantage for Luxembourg residents to have an alternative. We can be proud of what we have integrated. Parents have a lot more choices. We need to invest more in orientation.
Paper jam: In the traditional system, all pupils are still literate in German… What do you intend to change as a priority in the traditional Luxembourg system?
Claude Meisch: You have to do two things. There is still a need for international schools, because there is not one type of, let’s say, “foreign” student. There are of course those who come more from a Portuguese-speaking family, speaking Portuguese, and mastering at least French at home. There, literacy in French is a good alternative to the traditional system. We are in the process of launching pilot projects in four schools. We want to offer parents of a predominantly Roman-speaking population the opportunity to teach their children to read and write in French. The first language will therefore be French, and the second, German. All with the aim of having all students at the same level in both languages to ensure a common orientation.
Paper jam: Which municipalities are participating in the pilot project?
Claude Meisch: We are in discussion with four municipalities and four schools: Differdange, Larochette, Dudelange and Schifflange. There are other requests from other municipalities, but we want to limit the offer, as this is a pilot project. We want to accompany it to evaluate it and draw conclusions in a few years to see if it is a model that can be generalized. The idea is to offer parents an alternative literacy in French for their children. Literacy in German obviously remains in place. We want to guarantee that in cycle 4 the two groups will meet to be oriented in the same schools.
Paper jam: What is the launch date of this pilot project?
Claude Meish: It will be launched this fall, in September 2022, and will start in cycle 1, therefore at the Spillschoul, or in cycle 2. The presence of the French language will be much more important at the level of cycle 1. You have to know, and that was demonstrated, that there is no easy solution. A Portuguese child whose mother tongue is the Portuguese language is not expected to understand French at the time of literacy.
Paper jam: Can Luxembourgers also enroll in these classes?
Claude Meish: In principle, yes. It is not a question of nationality. Rather, it replaces parental choice. We have to wait for the evaluation of this pilot project to see if we can really ensure a common orientation towards secondary school. It will be up to the next government to decide whether it wants to generalize this model or not. Alongside the development of the traditional system, there is still a need for international schools. Diversity is so important…
Paper jam: Some voices felt that the latest reforms were applied one level lower because of a pass policy in traditional high schools. What do you answer them?
Claude Meish: For 2,000 years, humanity has believed that the new generation no longer meets the needs and profile of the previous generation, and that it is leading to its decline. Young people today have other skills. And, yes, we have a different reality than the official school curriculum. It is expected of a student, at the time of his baccalaureate in the traditional system, that his skills in French, German and English are identical to those he has in his mother tongue. We know very well that with a baccalaureate of 30 points out of 60, this will not necessarily be the case. But we have to face reality. Many people who have completed their schooling elsewhere and who do not master the three languages are very successful in their life in Luxembourg.
Paper jam: No matter who we talk to, whether in finance, in tech, we lack a lot of talent. What can we do to train more suitable people in our territory?
Claude Meish: You have to start very early. The students in first class that I meet have very specific ideas about their future. Their suggestion to go to study computer science at that time is almost too late. This is the reason why we launched the teaching of coding in the fundamental from cycle 2 – in a very playful way, adapted to the age of the pupils. Above all, algorithmic thinking is encouraged in children. Last September, we also launched a new stream at the high school level, Computer Science. The first three years of secondary school, no matter whether it is a classical high school or general high school, each student discovers the digital world, which is not the case before.
Paper jam: The legislative elections are already for next year. Are you interested in a third term at the head of the Ministry of Education?
Claude Meisch: I hope you have noticed, I still have ambitions and ideas to achieve. The question of the distribution of ministries, and whether I was part of a new government, does not arise at present. Until then, there is still a long way to go and a lot of work.
Paper jam: Is the subject of national education still close to your heart?
Claude Meish: Yes, absolutely. Otherwise, I would not have chosen this ministry for the second time. It has become a passion.