It applies to secondary school pupils, including state-run international schools, and those in professional training.
22.10.2017
Compulsory textbooks will be
free-of-charge for secondary school pupils and those in professional
training from the start of the next school year, it has been
announced.
The decision will save parents and
guardians in the region of €350 to €450 per year – the
estimated cost of compulsory material, according to the education
ministry, which has allocated a €14.5m budget for the move.
Education minister Claude Meisch said
bookstores will continue to provide the textbooks and using second
hand material will also be encouraged via a stationery voucher
system.
"Free school textbooks in secondary schools will have no impact on allowances," Meisch said. "This is a net benefit."
It applies to all public secondary schools and private ones which follow the Luxembourgish curriculum as well as state-run international schools -- the International School of Differdange and Esch-sur-Alzette and Lycée Michel Lucius.
As part of a sustainable development initiative, a voucher system will be put in place granting pupils a discount on stationery material if they use second-hand books.
To order textbooks from a bookstore pupils will need to select their required books online at eSchoolBooks.lu and present the order form at a store upon collection. The same applies when ordering stationery with a voucher.