This week, the World Expo in Osaka is spotlighting education through its theme Learning and Playing. A five-person delegation from Luxembourg’s Ministry of Education has traveled to Japan to take part in the thematic focus, joined by representatives from the University of Luxembourg.
Luc Weis, head of the Ministry’s pedagogical innovation service (SCRIPT), explains that Luxembourg is using the opportunity to demonstrate how innovative, engaging learning can work in practice. Like other participating countries, SCRIPT aims to highlight its ongoing efforts to develop new concepts that diversify the learning experience.
The team has prepared two interactive projects that are also intended for future rollout in Luxembourg. The goal: to spark dialogue with Expo visitors while introducing them to Luxembourg’s playful and modern approach to education, especially for children and young people.
The Grand Duchy’s pavilion features two workshops: one where participants can compose their own Luxembourgish songs, and another involving a quiz. Those who complete all the questions earn the title of Luxembourg Expert and receive a personalised badge, a souvenir that is proving highly popular.
Visitor turnout has been strong, with many queuing up to two hours to enter the Luxembourg pavilion. Most are Japanese, which presents a language challenge for the SCRIPT team. “Many visitors only speak Japanese,” says Weis, “so we made our activities language-free where possible. And where explanations are needed, we prepared everything in both English and Japanese.”
Despite the communication hurdles, smiles, gestures, and translation apps are helping bridge the gap. So far, visitor feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.
