The consultation involved 2,000 professionals from the education sector and revealed an “alarming situation” in primary education. According to the study, 45% of respondents reported suffering from “mental health issues” related to their work, while 35% experienced “physical problems.” Additionally, 37% of those surveyed felt “emotionally drained,” and 31% were “on the verge of burn-out.”
Several factors contribute to these issues, including the handling of problematic students, a general decline in student performance, challenges related to inclusive education and multilingualism, administrative burdens, difficulties with heterogeneous classes, and “stressful” interactions with some parents.
These concerns were highlighted in a press release issued on Tuesday by the Education and Science Union of the Independent Luxembourg Trade Union Confederation (SEW/OGBL). The teachers’ union criticised the Ministry of Education for its handling of the situation, accusing it of delaying the publication of the study “for months” only to now dismiss its results as “unrepresentative.”
The trade union also called on Minister of Education Claude Meisch to acknowledge the problem and take immediate action. “Minimising the problems won’t make them go away,” the union stated, urging the minister to address the issues and support teachers effectively.
The National Teachers’ Union of the General Confederation of the Civil Service (SNE/CGFP) echoed these concerns. During a press conference on Tuesday morning, SNE President Patrick Remakel warned that the school system could collapse in the short term if the Ministry does not address teachers’ mental and physical health.
The SNE is calling for immediate measures to support children with specific needs. Remakel emphasised that, in more severe cases, it would be beneficial for the children, their classmates, and the teaching staff if these students were, for example, temporarily placed in therapy instead of remaining in the regular school environment.
Overall, the SNE stressed the importance of taking the study seriously, mirroring the sentiments expressed by the SEW. According to Remakel, the findings represent “a cry for help” from the teaching staff.
