The current heatwave has prompted debate over how schools should respond, with some primary schools giving pupils Wednesday afternoon off while lessons continue as normal elsewhere.
Many parents, pupils, and teachers have criticised the absence of a consistent approach. Speaking with RTL Radio on Wednesday, Education Minister Claude Meisch played down the differences between schools, noting that the high temperatures affected everyone, whether they were at school, at work, or at home.
The minister stressed that national guidance was already in place. Particularly vulnerable children, including very young pupils and those with special educational or medical needs, may remain at home and have their absence excused.
At the same time, Meisch said many parents depended on schools to provide supervision during working hours. Closing all schools because of the heat would therefore create major difficulties for families and employers, he said.
Meisch noted that national rules also require schools, particularly primary schools, to ensure that children can still be supervised.
"We would bring the country to a standstill if we simply said that all children should stay at home, because their parents would no longer be able to go to work", he said.
Meisch argued that conditions differed too widely for a single nationwide rule to be appropriate. He explained that primary and secondary schools operate differently, while the buildings themselves vary considerably.
Meisch stressed that school management teams are therefore responsible for deciding how best to respond to the heat locally. In many schools, regular lessons are continuing in the morning, while supervised activities are being provided during the afternoon, he said.
Other measures include moving tests and examinations to the morning and avoiding classrooms that become particularly hot, according to Meisch.
"Fortunately, final-year pupils have already finished", Meisch said, adding that holding final examinations during the current heatwave would have caused significant concern.
The minister also pointed out that the country was experiencing an entire week of extreme heat rather than a single unusually hot day. With three weeks remaining before the summer holidays, he said cancelling a full week of school would not be realistic.
Such a decision would have consequences for examinations, school organisation, and childcare arrangements, he said.
Asked whether the ministry had an overview of conditions inside school buildings, Meisch explained that the situation varied considerably. Municipalities are responsible for primary-school infrastructure, while conditions in secondary schools depend heavily on whether buildings are newly constructed or more than a century old, according to Meisch.
Not every school is equally well equipped to protect pupils and staff from high temperatures, he noted.
Despite forecasts suggesting that heatwaves will become more frequent, Meisch currently sees no need to introduce a nationwide policy.
"We do not believe national rules would help us here, because conditions vary so widely", he said.
Following discussions within the national crisis unit, officials concluded that closing all schools was not the appropriate response, according to Meisch. In addition to the wider consequences for working life and society, the minister noted that some children might be better supervised and cared for at school than if they were left at home.
"We do not live in a country where everyone has a swimming pool in the garden and air conditioning at home", he said.
Meisch nevertheless acknowledged that Luxembourg would need to consider how to make schools more resilient to extreme heat in the future. The aim, he said, should be to ensure that education can continue while providing humane conditions for pupils and staff.
