Education Minister defends reforms to 1000 students

For the second time this week, the Minister of Education defended on Thursday, the government’s plans to reform secondary education. However this time in front the students who gathered en mass at a meeting held at Geesseknäppchen in Belair. Mady Delvaux was heckled several times, and there were many vocal exchanges, particularly referring to the infamous "extensive work" at it has become known.

The minister stressed that this work has been reduced and it will no longer be called "extensive work" but "personal work". She also explained that students would not be left alone to face this task, which is a major worry to them, but will be guided by their teachers. Whatever this will be called, what it involves is completing a project as part of a pupil’s school work on a subject freely chosen by the student. The project will be graded and become an important part of moving on to the next class.

The students stated that they did not understand why the current system of sections should be changed in favour of "dominant" with core subjects to choose from. "You will have more possible combinations," explained the minister’s collaborator, Jos Bertemes.

A member of the students committee asked the minister why students were involved in the project only after their demonstration outside the Ministry of Education. Mady Delvaux responded that the idea was scheduled for December, and they would certainly have been consulted at that time.

The first reforms should be introduced in the summer of 2013 in the seventh year of Luxembourg school system. The full list of reforms should be in place by the school year 2017/2018.