«Մեդիան հանուն կրթության» ՀԿ–ն հետևում է էթիկական լրագրության կանոններին։
Բողոքների դեպքում դիմել
Դիտորդ մարմին։
Photo: Luxembourg times
Luxembourg’s low student performance is worrying, Education Minister Claude Meisch has said, commenting on the results of the PISA international assessment. In Luxembourg, a country known for its strong economic performance, 38% of 15-year-olds failed to reach the minimum proficiency level in reading and mathematics, while 32% fell below the required threshold in science.
The Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), conducted by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), evaluates education systems across countries. The latest assessment involved 91 countries and economies.
“We have, of course, noticed — and this is not a trend seen only in our country — that the overall picture is very, very negative. Reading proficiency, for example, is worrying,” Meisch said.
“When four out of every ten 15-year-olds still lack the skills needed to fully understand texts, I have to ask myself how they will take responsibility in the future, understand the complexities of society and build their lives. This genuinely worries me.”
Meisch has met with education specialists and experts from other fields to discuss the development of a national reading strategy.
“I think reading is a fundamental part of human life. It shapes our culture, our thinking and our way of life. When we lose the ability to read, when it declines to such an extent, the way we live and think together also changes. This worries me. That is precisely why society must take action to change the situation,” Luxembourg’s education minister said, urging action to address the problem.
Is Multilingualism the Problem?
Meisch has repeatedly linked Luxembourg’s disappointing results to the country’s multilingual education system. According to the minister, most pupils study in a language that is not their mother tongue, while some receive their education in their fourth or even fifth language. This puts them at a disadvantage compared with pupils in countries where education is delivered in a single language.
In Luxembourg’s primary schools, children learn to read, write and do mathematics in German. However, according to data from SCRIPT, the country’s education research and coordination service, German is the main language spoken at home by only around 2% of children, while slightly more than one-third mainly speak Luxembourgish at home.
The Challenge of Introducing French
Under a decision by the education authorities, from September next year children entering the first year of primary school will initially learn Luxembourgish before being divided into two groups. One group will learn to read, write and do mathematics in German, while the other will do so in French. The change, known as Project Alpha, is intended to give children the opportunity to acquire foundational skills in their preferred language—German or French.
Meisch has previously said that French is easier to learn than German for children whose linguistic background is based on Latin languages. It may also be more accessible to children who have already been exposed to French in nursery school.
According to the minister, around half of primary school teachers received their education in Belgium, following French-language curricula. He therefore believes that schools have enough teachers capable of teaching in French.
Teachers at each school are expected to agree on who will teach in German and who in French. If they cannot reach an agreement, priority will be given to the teacher with the longest service, followed by the next most senior teacher.
Meisch said that before the summer holidays he had held 15 meetings with school district heads and school principals to discuss organisational issues. In his view, schools should be able to reach agreements independently, with length of service serving as the fallback principle if disagreements arise.
How Are Pupils in International Schools Performing?
Since 2016, state-run international schools have gradually opened in Luxembourg at Meisch’s initiative. Pupils at these schools are taught mainly in German, French, English or Portuguese.
The PISA results, published on 8 September, were presented separately for the first time, distinguishing the performance of pupils in Luxembourg’s state school system from that of pupils attending international and European schools.
Pupils at private European schools recorded the highest average scores in reading, mathematics and science. In all three subjects, pupils at state European schools scored below those in Luxembourg’s Classical Secondary Education system, but above pupils in the General Secondary Education system.
Meanwhile, according to data previously provided by the education ministry, results at state-run international schools declined between 2018 and 2025. The average reading score fell from 540 to 477, mathematics from 544 to 488, and science from 539 to 509. Despite this decline, applications and enrolment at state-run international schools have increased significantly.
“We are still analysing these data. Overall, the results of state European schools are good. They are very close to those of pupils in the Classical Secondary Education system,” Meisch said.
However, the minister cautioned that a direct comparison between the 2018 and 2025 results was not entirely reliable. According to him, very few pupils from state-run international schools took part in PISA in 2018, and almost all of them attended Lycée Michel Lucius in Luxembourg City. Meisch suggested that these pupils may have had a different socioeconomic profile from pupils attending other schools.
“We cannot fully rely on this comparison between 2018 and 2025. Today, we consider the results of state-run international schools quite positive because they are very close to those of pupils in the Classical Secondary Education system. That system is regarded as the most suitable for educating high-achieving pupils,” Luxembourg’s education minister said.
