Luxembourg Ministers François Bausch and Claude Meisch yesterday inaugurated the new boarding school Sainte-Marie in Mertzig, in the presence of the Archbishop of Luxembourg, Jean-Claude Hollerich.
In September 2012, the Sainte-Marie primary school in Limpertsberg was closed down, after it was discovered that some of its technical facilities contained traces of asbestos. Coincidentally, the CIPA Mertzig retirement home was also shut down, as it was no longer capable of adapting to the new requirements of an elderly home. The latter was found to be a suitable building for the relocation of the Sainte-Marie boarding school for children aged six to twelve years.
The Sainte Marie boarding school system is based on Christian values, and employs a social scientific method which relates to the person involved and their family through the professional and social conduct of the staff. The school collaborates closely with the family, as it aims to complement and not replace the education provided by the parents. The priorities cited by the boarding school are of the well-being of the children, their development in cognitive and social skills, academic achievement, integration, inclusion and the creation of lasting relationships.
The institution is said to serve students who are old enough for primary level education, who require care outside the family, and/or children whose parents are temporarily unavailable to contribute to their education, either due to a need for homework guidance or in the case of a problematic personal or family situation. The project of relocating the school had a budget of €1.6 million and work was started in May 2014.
The new construction performed on the former CIPA building, which covers a total gross area of three thousand m2, reportedly involved demolition and partition work; tiling; floor covering; renovation carpentry; painting and landscaping; as well as replacing existing hall doors with fire doors.
Photo by Ministry for Sustainable Development and Infrastructure (L-R: Claude Baumann, Claude Meisch, Jean-Claude Hollerich, François Bausch, Michel Kneip)
