As a reminder, primary education in the Grand Duchy lasts line years, and is divided into four main learning cycles. The “Cycle 1" comprises children aged 3 to 5. It includes two years of nursery school and one year of “Précoce,” which is optional.
AIP is the trade union specifically representing cycle 1 teachers. According to its president Joëlle Theobald, the ministry has not yet been in touch with them and many uncertainties prevail. It still remains unclear what the maximum number of pupils in each nursery school class will be. In a related vein, it is still up in the air how many teachers will be needed to deal with the higher number of smaller classes. Theobald stressed that it was virtually impossible to plan the reopening of nursery schools if these fundamental questions are still unanswered.
According to the AIP president, nursery school teachers and children are looking forward to the reopening. She nevertheless underlined that it was impossible to force small children to adhere to the current precautionary measures for adults.
In her words: “Children in this age group will not always wear a scarf or face mask. They also cannot maintain physical distance. They may want to hug their friends and run to their teacher. What if they cry or get homesick? We need to be able to comfort them [...]. If we cannot do that, we do more harm than good.”
The Minister of Education said he was aware that other precautionary measures need to be implemented in nursery schools. He will consult with the AIP union via video conference on Friday.
