Inclusion remains a challenge in Luxembourg’s schools, the Ombudsman for Children’s Rights stated during a press conference on Wednesday morning.
Ombudsman Charel Schmit stressed that the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities stipulate that disabled children have the right to receive inclusive schooling in their neighbourhood or municipality.
While Schmit acknowledged that many schools have ramps alongside stairs, lifts, and adapted equipment, he cautioned against the illusion that this is sufficient and that full inclusion has already been achieved.
Schmit noted that the main challenge today is accommodating neurodivergency. He described these as invisible disabilities – not readily apparent – which, due to the background and specificities of those affected, require extra care and support. In particular, Schmit said it is a matter of considering how the everyday school routine must be structured to prevent crises, including how classrooms are arranged, what learning rhythm should apply, what additional help may be required, and what support should be provided.
Schmit acknowledged that progress has already been made regarding “DYS-issues,” such as dyslexia and dyscalculia. However, he stressed that in the future, there will be increasingly more children with neurodivergent profiles, and schools will have to adapt accordingly.
He also warned against simply placing all such students in separate structures outside mainstream schools. “We can do that temporarily, and it can help, but it must be clear that the path back into the mainstream classroom and mainstream school must always remain open, and that under one roof in the same school, different care settings must be possible,” Schmit stated.
A major problem, according to Helen Portal, a legal expert at OKAJU, is that the various actors on the ground do not coordinate sufficiently with one another. She noted that there remains a tendency toward tunnel vision within the ministries.
Portal explained that school inclusion falls under the competence of the Ministry of Education, while inclusion outside of school is the responsibility of the Ministry of Family Affairs. If violence occurs or a report is made, the placement of children falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Justice. “And that is why there are many difficulties for the actors to work together. The ministries work in their own little boxes, and there is not much dialogue,” Portal criticised.
OKAJU therefore demands that cooperation between the various actors be improved. Information is often lost, particularly during the transition from primary to secondary school. At the local level, school management teams need more freedom to organise their resources in a way that best benefits the child. Additionally, more resources are needed for the direct supervision and support of the children, Schmit demanded.
