On Monday, the Union of Cities and Municipalities in Luxembourg (SYICOL) convened for a board meeting.
83 municipalities, which represent more than 90% of the country's pupils, participated in an inquiry and provided insight on their IT spending in education since 2018. SYVICOL president Emile Eicher conveyed that in those three years, a total of €28 million were spent.
70% of municipalities indicated that they spend between €50 and €250 per student annually. However, there are still major discrepancies between these amounts, with some paying up to six times as much as others.
SYVICOL now hopes to find a universal solution for the entire country so that every child has the same possibilities. The union therefore argues that the Ministry of Education should be tasked with this responsibility.
President Eicher concluded that the pandemic has already managed to show major discrepancies in IT equipment, which is why these additional costs should be covered by the government.
Municipalities already struggle to cope with the elevated costs for emergency services, which is why they hope that the government will now accept its responsibility in terms of providing modern equipment to primary schools.
