Opposition parties were not the only ones to be surprised by the announcement, the same was also true for government coalition partners LSAP and the Greens. However, while the Democratic Party (DP) has managed to set aside most differences with both parties, the opposition remains sceptical.
Read also: Concerns about compulsory education age resolvedThe raising of the minimum age for compulsory school attendance was discussed by the respective Chamber commission on Thursday morning. After the meeting, opposition MPs lamented that a number of issues remain unresolved.
How will the police enforce daily compulsory attendance for 17-year-olds, questioned MP Fred Keup from the Alternative Democratic Reform Party (ADR). MP Martine Hansen from the Christian Social People’s Party declared the government announcements to be “empty”. She further believes the coalition parties to be split on the issue.
MP Hansen concluded: “It is important to ensure that school degrees maintain their worth. We also need to make sure that our apprenticeships are of high quality and that primary school children are already taught about the value of craftsmanship. This would help orient pupils more accurately and would benefit our society in general.”
MP Gilles Baum (DP) defended the government’s new course by stating that close to 700 adolescents aged 16 to 18 leave school annually. He thus argued in favour of the new minimum age for compulsory attendance and underlined that the government wants to include the Chamber’s education commission every step along the way.
