Schülerinnen und Schüler mit besonderem Förderbedarf im luxemburgischen Bildungssystem (original) (raw)

2015, Bildungsbericht Luxemburg 2015

Pupils with special needs in the Luxembourg national education system (Arthur Limbach-Reich, Justin J. W. Powell): As in other European countries, special needs education moves between exclusion and inclusion in Luxembourg. The Luxembourg Education Act of 1881 introduced for the compulsory schooling for all children first the time. In so doing, the law excused children with recognized impairments from this obligation, although the State gradually opened institutions dedicated to these children with special needs. This exclusion, later segregation from mainstream education, was strongly criticized in the late 1950s and 1960s. Then special classes were set up and specific institutions were created with the aim of providing support to these children. Yet not until 1973 did education become compulsory for all children, including those with disabilities – rather late by European standards. Whereas the establishment of special schools and special education classes was interpreted as progress (although late in coming relative to the neighboring countries), criticism became heated at the continued separation of ‚normal‘ from ‚non-normal‘ children. This criticism contributed to the Integration Act of June 1994, which had the goal of the widespread inclusion of all children in regular classes. At the national level, the care of SEN children in mainstream schools since 2009 has been monitored by multi-professional teams (équipes multiprofessionnelles) following the introduction of a new fundamental school law. However, if the skills base defined in the Education Act is not achieved, referral to special education (éducation différenciée) remains as a general option. Another obstacle to school inclusion is turning out to be the legal limitation of a maximum of eight years in primary school. In recent years, totals of between 700 to 850 children per year were classified as SEN children, corresponding to a percentage of about 1.4% to 1.8%. Statistically, at least three facts exemplifying inequalities demand enhanced attention. First, two thirds of SEN children in Luxembourg are male and this trend is increasing. Secondly, we observe that up to three fifths of these SEN children do not have Luxembourgish nationality. And thirdly, it must be noted that only two out of five SEN children are actually integrated into mainstream classes. The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities commits governments to the legally enforceable development of inclusive education systems to global standards – also in Luxembourg. Overall, despite awareness-raising, no fundamental change in special education and school integration in Luxembourg is discernible as a consequence of the ratification of the UN Disability Rights Convention.