For more than 64,000 primary school children in Luxembourg, the summer holidays end on Tuesday, 15 September, as the new academic year begins. This figure is up about 1,000 pupils from last year. The vast majority, nearly 58,700, are enrolled in the public primary school system, with just over 5,000 attending private schools.
Some 6,600 teachers will return to the classroom this week, with women representing 80% of the teaching staff.
The start of the school year is not limited to primary schools. The University of Luxembourg is also opening its doors to students, with 2,800 new enrolments registered this year, a 4% increase compared to last year.
The university has introduced two entirely new Master's programmes, one in actuarial sciences (insurance mathematics) and another in education, tailored to teachers who already have professional experience.
Secondary schools (lycée), are also resume classes this week, but not on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, the 7ième classes will return, with all other classes joining on Thursday. However, for some students, the week starts with significant challenges: Tuesday is reserved for the written Première re-sits, affecting 652 students, or 17% of last year’s graduating class.
In the municipality of Steinfort, last-minute preparations were still underway on Monday. With just one day to go before the start of term, staff at the primary school in Kleinbettingen were reviewing timetables and finalising details for the new school year.
Kleinbettingen’s school hosts the youngest pupils from cycle 2. For many children, this marks a special beginning as they move from kindergarten to primary school. To support this transition, teachers organised a pre-term introduction session on Monday afternoon, allowing the children to meet their new teacher and classmates in advance.
While teachers in schools are making use of the final hours to prepare classrooms and materials, planning for the new academic year has in fact been underway for months. Schedules, classroom allocations, and the broader organisation of school life have been developed since the spring.
