Last week, Luxembourg hosted the General Assembly and Annual Conference of the European Basic Skills Network where more than 100 experts from 20 European countries led workshops on basic skills such as reading, writing, speaking, calculating and understanding a spatial environment as part of receiving and communicating information.
Created in 2010, ESBN is the European Association of Decision Makers and Actors in Basic Education, which brings together ministries, national adult education institutes, universities, associations in the field of adult education and training organisations. The network has 80 members from more than 35 different countries, and cooperates closely with the European Commission and Unesco.
Its objective is to develop and support basic education policies that ensure that all adults have access to lifelong learning, employment and active citizenship .
This year, the conference was organised under the theme "basic skills for integration”, a topic of interest following the massive influx of newcomers and international protection seekers who do not yet master our languages.
During the two day conference, participants exchanged ideas on policies and arrangements in their respective countries.
Language learning was recognised as a first step towards integration. It must, however, be supplemented by the development of basic skills, reading, writing, mathematics, for those who have no (or had little) education or by those who do not master our language.
The complexity of the linguistic environment in Luxembourg surprised the European participants and the Luxembourg schemes developed to deal with it were perceived as good practice.
Participants also stressed that it is essential that the different institutions involved in the integration of new arrivals and applicants for international protection coordinate their interventions and share their practices.
On Thursday 1 June, the participants visited a Luxembourg scheme in the presence of the Minister of National Education, Children and Youth, Claude Meisch.
The 9+ integration workshops, set up by the Ministry of National Education, Children and Youth, the City of Luxembourg and the Delta ASBL, combine French, mathematics, and English with hands-on workshop training in language acquisition and professional computing as well as knowledge of tools, materials and professional gestures. Practical training includes maintenance, repair, recycling and rental of bicycles, painting, spray painting, woodworking and maintenance of parks and playground facilities.
At the end of the course in 9+ integration workshops, a report card, guidance and a descriptive complement of the skills acquired in the workshop will be given to the learners. This 9th grade in adult education gives access to vocational training and adult learning, depending on the level attained.
The learners expressed their gratitude by presenting a plaque symbolising the project to Minister Claude Meisch and EBSN Network President, Joyce Black.
