The new schools come twp years after Luxembourg’s education ministry opened the Ecole Internationale de Differdange Pexels

The new schools come twp years after Luxembourg’s education ministry opened the Ecole Internationale de Differdange Pexels

Starting September 2018, Ecole Internationale Edward Steichen in Clervaux, Lycée Lënster in Junglinster and the future Ecole Internationale Mondorf-les-Bains will offer the European School curriculum in parallel with public school programmes.

They will offer nursery, primary and secondary cycles in French and German in Clervaux, which will have a capacity for 560 pupils; English and German in Junglinster (capacity for 660 students); and English, French and German in Mondorf (capacity for 700 students). The latter will offer a general secondary education section and boarding facilities for 100 young people.

The schools were enshrined into law on Wednesday with 55 voices in favour (CSV, DP, LSAP, déi gréng) against 3 against (ADR). 

They come two years after Luxembourg’s education ministry opened the Ecole Internationale de Differdange, a state school teaching the European school curriculum with some elements of Luxembourgish. The school, which has a popular English stream, expanded into Esch-sur-Alzette in September 2017.

In an interview with Delano in December 2017, education minister Claude Meisch (DP) said the decision to expand the offer of international schooling in Luxembourg is a response to the country’s growing cultural diversity. The minister said that at the age of 3 to 4, two-thirds of children in Luxembourg don’t speak Luxembourgish as a first language at home. But the school has not only proven popular with foreign families--the minister also sent his children to the Differdange international school.

According to Schola Europaea, there are 14 accredited European schools across the country.