The Luxembourg Education System
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2020 THE LUXEMBOURG EDUCATION SYSTEM 2020 THE LUXEMBOURG EDUCATION SYSTEM © Luxembourg Ministry of Education, Children and Youth., 2020 Service presse et communication isbn : 978-99959-1-267-3 web : www.men.lu Content A. Introduction ..............................................................................................................................6 B. Major themes ........................................................................................................................ 10 1. A global approach to the child ............................................................................................................................................................... 13 2. Reducing social inequalities ................................................................................................................................................................... 14 3. Multilingualism - an opportunity and a challenge ............................................................................................................................ 16 4. Different schools suited to different pupils ........................................................................................................................................ 18 5. The digitalisation of education .............................................................................................................................................................. 19 6. Development of quality assurance systems - a transversal priority ............................................................................................. 20 C. Organisation of luxembourg's education system ............................................................ 22 1. Children up to 4 years old ...................................................................................................................................................................... 25 1.1 Education and childcare structures .........................................................................................................................................25 1.2 The childcare cheque scheme ..................................................................................................................................................25 1.3. Free plurilingual education.......................................................................................................................................................25 1.4. Optional schooling from the age of 3 ...................................................................................................................................25 2. Children from 4 to 11 years old ............................................................................................................................................................ 26 2.1 Schooling ......................................................................................................................................................................................26 2.2 Non-formal education ...............................................................................................................................................................31 3. Students from 12 years upwards .......................................................................................................................................................... 32 3.1. Schooling .....................................................................................................................................................................................32 3.2. Non-formal education .............................................................................................................................................................39 3.3. Higher education .......................................................................................................................................................................39 4. Adults .......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 41 4.1 Recognition of diplomas and degrees ....................................................................................................................................41 4.2 Validation of prior experiential learning .................................................................................................................................41 4.3 Support for continuing training ................................................................................................................................................42 4.4 Back-to-education option .........................................................................................................................................................42 4.5 Master craftsman’s diploma (Brevet de maîtrise) .................................................................................................................42 4.6 General and civic training for adults .......................................................................................................................................42 4.7 L4S Learn for success ................................................................................................................................................................43 D. Appendices ............................................................................................................................ 45 LE SYSTÈME ÉDUCATIF LUXEMBOURGEOIS 5 A6 THE LUXEMBOURG EDUCATION SYSTEM CHAPTERA INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION 8 THE LUXEMBOURG EDUCATION SYSTEM A. Introduction As a result of strong political determination, Luxembourg’s education system has considerably evolved in recent years. These developments go hand in hand with the changes in the country’s society and an international environment in which digitalisation has become extremely important. The Grand Duchy has many specific features that explain some of the choices that have been made in the country’s education policy - its multilingualism being one of them. The Grand Duchy is nevertheless experiencing the same major upheavals as every other developed country (accelerated technological change, galloping digitalisation, globalisation, pressure of global economic competition, etc.) and must come up with solutions of its own. Because of its small population (about 614,000 inhabitants in 2019, in an area of 2,586 sq.km.), it is easy to forget that the Grand Duchy is a sovereign State in its own right. It is a founding Member State of the European Union, which it presides on a rotating basis. It is also a founding member of the United Nations: in 2013-2014 it occupied one of the ten non-permanent seats on the Security Council. The population may be small in number, but it is extremely diverse: nearly 47,5% of residents are foreigners in 2019, representing more than 170 different nationalities; 85% are from a European Union member State. French, Belgian and German cross-border workers also play a key role in the Grand Duchy’s economy: over 200,000 people enter the Grand Duchy each day to work. Immigration and cross-border mobility are reflected in the working population, 71% of whom are foreigners (45% cross-border workers and 26% foreign residents). Diversity goes beyond passports: it is reflected in the languages spoken, people’s socio-economic origin, their migration experience, family and social histories, and their talents. Although any national education policy must adopt an ambitious vision for the future, this must be based on the realities of the country's situation, taking into account its strengths but also its challenges. The Grand Duchy has made the choice of basing its education policy on a number of guidelines that have been drawn up on the basis of both the real-life situation and the social and democratic values that form the foundation for the Grand Duchy’s social pact: • giving each child the best possible opportunity for success: the education system makes every effort to reduce academic inequalities in relevance to social origin, migration, or language spoken; • placing the child at the centre of all concern: connecting formal and non-formal education promotes a holistic approach to the child; as a result, the education system is understood as including all the areas involved in developing the abilities of children and young people and encouraging them to thrive; • offering different schools for different pupils: the school offer is becoming increasingly diversified in order to adapt to the diversity of pupils’ backgrounds and talents; • continuing to develop digital skills: preparing young people for a successful working life requires an innovative and modern education system. This brochure describes the implementation of these guidelines and provides an overview of the organisation and functioning of the education system. It is intended for use by anyone, whether in the Grand Duchy or elsewhere, wanting to find out about the subject. More detailed information is available on the Ministry’s website at www.men.lu. INTRODUCTION 9 B10 THE LUXEMBOURG EDUCATION SYSTEM CHAPTERB MAJOR THEMES MAJOR THEMES 11 12 THE LUXEMBOURG EDUCATION SYSTEM 1. A global approach to the child The Grand Duchy has adopted a global approach to the child. As a result, the Ministry of Education, Children and Youth (ministère de l’Éducation nationale, de l’Enfance