Credit: MENEJ
Luxembourg's Ministry of Education, Children and Youth has presented the procedures to follow for Ukrainian refugees of school age arriving in the Grand Duchy.
As beneficiaries of temporary protection, Ukrainian refugee children and young people are legally entitled to an education in Luxembourg, as in other Member States of the European Union (EU).
According to the ministry, Luxembourg already has extensive experience in taking in pupils who have recently arrived in the country. Its task now is to do everything possible to cope with this unprecedented increase in the number of newcomers and to offer a schooling offer adapted to the diversity of profiles of Ukrainian pupils.
Unlike during previous refugee influxes, most recently in 2015, Luxembourg's public education system now has several international schools allowing for a more flexible language offer, with, for example, English-speaking sections. This public international offer will be at the heart of the education system set up for Ukrainian refugee pupils.
The Department for the Schooling of Foreign Children (Service de scolarisation des enfants étrangers - SECAM) of the Ministry of Education has set up a single point of contact for Ukrainian refugee families:
38 Rue Philippe II; L-2340 Luxembourg
Hotline: (in English) 247-76570; (in Ukrainian) 247-76976
Monday to Friday from 08:00 to 12:00 and from 13:00 to 17:00
Email: secretariat.secam@men.lu
After an interview with the families and their children, SECAM will offer them one or more options so that each child quickly benefits from adequate schooling. The final choice between the possible options rests with the parents.
Children and adolescents may attend school as soon as the immigration procedures provided by the Directorate of Immigration and the Ministry of Health have been completed.
Parents who have contacted the municipal authorities or secondary schools directly are invited to also contact SECAM in order to benefit from its guidance.
The educational offer for Ukrainian refugee children and young people in Luxembourg will be mainly organised by six public international schools: Lycée Michel-Lucius; École internationale Mersch Anne Beffort; École internationale Differdange & Esch-sur-Alzette; École internationale de Mondorf-les-Bains; Lënster Lycée International School; Lycée Edward Steichen Clervaux.
These schools have set up reception classes taught in English, specifically for Ukrainian pupils. The choice of English was made because Ukrainian pupils begin learning this language from their third year of studies.
In a second step, when the children are ready, they can join a regular international class. Depending on the age of the pupils and as their learning progresses, a second language will be added (German or French).
In exceptional cases, students whose level authorises it may join a regular international class directly. To this end, additional places have been created in the existing classrooms of international schools.
New classes will be opened in the six international schools as well as in other school buildings in the region (secondary and primary schools). The classes of these other school branches will also be managed by the international schools.
Depending on needs and demand, Ukrainian children may also be educated in municipal schools, where they will follow reception courses in German or French.
For children of preschool age (three to five years old; cycle 1 of Luxembourg basic education), parents will be offered enrolment in a basic school in their municipality of residence.
Extra-curricular care for young children and children in cycle 1 will be provided by childcare facilities near the child's place of residence. Extra-curricular childcare for primary school children will be provided (as far as possible) by childcare facilities in or near the schools which will be taking in Ukrainian children.
Moreover, the Education Ministry noted that the recruitment of additional English-speaking teaching staff for international schools is currently underway. People of Ukrainian origin or Ukrainian speakers from different backgrounds are also being recruited. They will be able to intervene in class under the direction of the teacher to assist the children, for example by ensuring translations or by providing explanations in Ukrainian.
Eligible individuals with experience in the educational field are invited to send their application and a short CV to SECAM via email: ukraine.secam@men.lu.
