We expect 'too much' from our children: Patrick Remakel

"If I had to do all the things we ask of our children, working from 7am until 7pm, then coming home to parents who also have demands...certainly I believe we expect too much from our children", President of the SNE Patrick Remakel responded to the question of why increasingly more children are displaying behavioural problems.

This leads to the first order of business for the new school year being the supervision of children with special needs, behavioural abnormalities or special health needs. Teachers are not doctors and should not be expected to perform the same duties. Therefore, the SNE calls for a recruitment plan for specialised staff who can be directly posted to schools. The SNE also calls for the creation of a task force bringing together experts from different fields in all schools.

Another critical area of concern for the SNE is the current operations of competence centres, which, according to the union, needs to be reevaluated. "It is not enough to inaugurate nine additional competence centre branches without fundamentally evaluating the way they are currently operating", Remakel urged. He continued that pupils who cannot be taught in their respective schools, should be temporarily accommodated and cared for at specialised centres or institutions.

© Diana Hoffmann

Teachers' well-being in decline

The mental health and wellbeing of teachers is on a worrying decline, according to the SNE President Patrick Remakel. He attributes this trend to the increasing number of children with behavioural problems or special needs. In addition to this, teachers' work loads have significantly increased in recent years, particularly due to the administrative responsibilities increasingly placed on teachers. In response, the SNE is calling for more psychological support and additional support structures to be made available to teachers. Regrettably, all these factors are leading to teaching becoming a less attractive career choice, according to the SNE. 

Literacy in French

In an effort to promote equal opportunities for children in Luxembourgish primary schools who do not speak German or Luxembourgish at home, the Ministry of Education has piloted a project in four schools allowing pupils to choose between being taught in French or German. Minister of Education Claude Meisch has indicated that teaching in French in primary schools will not be introduced before 2026.

Remakel expressed that the union is not opposed to this initiative and sees literacy in French by 2026 as a feasible solution. However, the SNE is calling for flexibility in its implementation within the traditional school system, as several questions remain. For instance, Remakel questioned in the case where 15 out of 16 pupils in one classroom would like to be taught in French and one pupil prefers to be taught in German, would schools need to hire additional staff, or would pupils be bussed across the country to fill classrooms? The SNE emphasised the need to talk to each municipality individually and literacy in French be implemented gradually. This should not be rushed and should first be done in the municipalities that are ready. 
 
Regarding the recently announced mobile phone ban effective from Easter onwards, the SNE welcomes the Ministry of Education's decision.

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