Luxembourg’s education sector is well-prepared to deal with the integration of Ukrainian refugees, explained Joëlle Damé at the beginning of the interview. She stressed that teachers have the necessary experience to handle the situation. However, she also voiced concerns over the drastic influx of pupils and the uncertainty of how many are still to come.
500 Ukrainian children and teenagers have their first day of school on Tuesday, but about 1,200 more are still expected to be enrolled over the coming weeks. With an average of 20 students per class, this would add another 60 classes to the system.
This influx requires both infrastructure and personnel, which has been a problem in Luxembourg for years. The same applies to day-care facilities, noted Damé. She further underlined that it will be an immense challenge to keep everything under control.
The SEW president also hopes that the dialogue between union and Ministry will remain honest. Furthermore, she does not want teachers to have to face excessive administrative procedures, as was often the case during the pandemic.
Damé also talked about the need for more psychological services, as she anticipates that many of the Ukrainian refugees are traumatised.
