The Féduse union said the public European school model must be subjected to critical and independent assessment, accusing the Ministry of Education of “blindly promoting a parallel world to the traditional school system”. They argue that pupils in the public European schools score lower marks in virtually all subjects compared to pupils in regular public schools.
The criticism against minister Claude Meisch’s policies is nothing new. Specifically, however, the union is asking for the discrepancy between high success rates and objectively weak academic performance to be considered. The European system has a 100% pass rate for pupils, but this “automatic promotion” hides numerous gaps in knowledge, argues the union.
Pass criteria for state schools are much stricter. The union said this was not a failing of the classical school system, but reflects the higher academic standards. The Féduse union said a fundamental question must be asked: is it a good idea to expand a system that shows structural weaknesses without checking evaluation mechanisms and requirements first? The union’s answer is a very clear “no”.
Demand for places at a public European school is incredibly high. According to the Ministry of Education, just 300 pupils were offered a place this year out of 1,200 applications. In the canton of Esch-sur-Alzette, in southern Luxembourg, there is a distinct lack of resources. Around 5,771 pupils attend one of the six public European schools at present. The new international school in Schifflange is planned to open in 2028, with 42 secondary classes for 980 pupils.
