Gaston Ternes

Since the Pisa studies, that is to say since 2000, we know what types of children are students at risk: Children from immigrant backgrounds and/or from socio-economically disadvantaged families. With the pandemic, this problem has become even more acute. In his “Carte blanche”, Gaston Ternes examines the possibilities for action on this issue.

It is no surprise that the “Luxembourg Center for Educational Testing” (LUCET) at the University of Luxembourg drew attention to the inequalities of the Luxembourg school system in its recent report on education monitoring. This declaration is also supported by the National Observatory of School Quality. In particular, listening comprehension competence in the German language has declined significantly, due to the fact that during the pandemic, young people with a migrant background have had little or no contact with the German language. And for digital home education to be successful, strong parental involvement is necessary.

The solutions currently being implemented are, overall, the following: more German lessons during the third and last school term in primary schools, as well as the proposal of a "summer school" of 14 days before classes resume in mid-September. This seems to be a drop in the ocean.

An effective approach to the problem of inequity of opportunities must be based on two pillars: it is part of continuity and the effectiveness of the measure is regularly evaluated.

Equity in education extends well beyond the school itself. A first step would be much better networking of existing teaching and support structures. It is important to identify the barriers that currently make access difficult for families.

Thinking about equity automatically means offering a maximum of possibilities in the school itself so that these possibilities are accessible to each learner. As an example, it would be useful to have a committee in the school which, in close contact with the family, can react quickly and flexibly to any situation. To meet this challenge, the school needs additional human resources.

The school system itself should be completely restructured; he should select much later, because early separation limits the young person's abilities and makes good orientation difficult.

Linguistic support in German and French is the “alpha and omega” of academic success in the Luxembourg school system. School initiatives that offer, for example, personalized language support by adapting the individual learner's timetable, within the 30 hours per week, should not only work in some schools, but across the country. .

And what about the introduction of a compulsory program limited to 25 hours per week at all levels of primary and secondary education, and 5 hours that can be scheduled on an optional basis to meet the needs and talents of students? The pandemic showed us the way by forcing us to focus on the essentials of the program.

These are just a few suggestions. Are they not reason enough for a real educational offensive?