RTL Today - Response to parliamentary question: Schools 'challenged, but not overwhelmed' by immigration since 2015: minister

While a significant rise in student numbers over the past ten years is undeniable in Luxembourg's schools, a decline in quality – as is reportedly the case in Germany – does not apply to the Grand Duchy, according to Minister Meisch.

Education Minister Claude Meisch reaffirmed the stability of educational quality in Luxembourg in response to a parliamentary enquiry from MP Fred Keup (ADR), who questioned whether the influx of refugees and migrants in recent years had led to a drop in student performance.

Keup raised the question in light of a recent study by German education researcher Dr Axel Plünnecke, as well as a report by German newspaper Bild, which suggest that the refugee wave of 2015 had "overwhelmed" the German education system.

Meisch recognises that indeed, student numbers have significantly risen since 2015, due to refugee and migration trends among other factors. However, while the situation "undoubtedly challenged the school system", it did not overwhelm it, the minister contends.

Meisch cites national monitoring tools such as standardised tests and annual education reports, which show no relevant decline in overall performance. He attributes this stability to the diversification measures inplemented to meet the growing demand: new secondary, international, and public European schools were opened, additional staff was recruited, and curricula and teaching material were modernised.

At the same time, Meisch stresses that Luxembourg has a traditionally diverse student body, one that historically embraced multilingualism long before the immigration influx of the past decade. In 2015, nearly 49% of pupils had a migration background.

The so-called reception classes, or "Classes d'Accueil", that serve as vital welcoming tools for newly arrived students, go as far back as the 1960s, when they were first introduced to primary schools before expanding to secondary classes. Meisch describes them as "important cornerstones of Luxembourg's integration policy", as they provide not only tailored language instruction but also social support.

The "flexibility" of the educational system, as well as its "pragmatic response" have so far prevented the kind of overextension witnessed elsewhere, but Meisch sees a need to continuously address larger societal challenges in the future. These include the growing use of social media and smart phones amongst youths, but also educational inequalities posed by instruction languages, for instance.