Three European public schools foreseen in education expansion plan

Three additional European public schools are planned to accommodate multilingual students in Luxembourg, Education Minister Claude Meisch said in parliament on Wednesday discussing the 2028 master plan for construction in the education sector.

The current sectoral plan, which defines land use for secondary education buildings, runs until 2028 and aims to help the education system deal with a growing number of students.

Around 76% of students aged 12 to 20 were enrolled in a secondary school for the 2024-2025 year, with that rate expected to increase.

To accommodate this growing student body, the sectoral plan foresees the expansion of existing facilities as well as the construction of new schools to address lack of space particularly in the west and north of the country.

“Given the current capacity of high schools and the projected future demand, it is clear that additional establishments will be necessary,” said a summary of the meeting between Meisch and lawmakers published on the parliament’s website.

Meisch confirmed that Luxembourg City’s Limpertsberg area would see a reduction in school concentration, with the Lycée Michel Lucius relocating to Kirchberg and Lycée Technique du Centre moving to Gasperich.

The minister also mentioned introduction of French literacy education as a “first step” in the broader reform process.

Updates later this year

As part of an expansion of the school network, Meisch emphasized the government’s ongoing commitment to setting up European public schools. These broadly follow the private European School system, allowing children to be taught in a different language from Luxembourg’s multilingual curriculum under which pupils learn to read and write in German, later switching to French instruction at secondary level.

Experiences have been positive, said Meisch, with three new European schools planned in high-demand regions, particularly near Esch-sur-Alzette, Dudelange and Luxembourg City.

A spatial planning procedure will be used to identify land for new schools, with consultations involving local municipalities.

Further updates on the initiative are expected later this year.