MPs will vote on the necessary law, which was used a few months ago to hire staff for the so-called A and B weeks, on Wednesday. As of right now, it is already possible to split up a class in the upper classes of secondary school: Half of the students are physically present, while the others remain at home and follow the class digitally.
In any case, schools face an organisational challenge. On Monday, Minister of Education Claude Meisch stated in the responsible parliamentary commission that the staff shortages are solely due to cases of quarantine and isolation. The minister pointed out that, as of recently, Luxembourg considers pregnant women also as vulnerable individuals. As a side effect of that decision, ministry officials now need to find substitutes for about 200 cases of maternity leave.
In order to work as a substitute in a primary school, candidates should ideally have a bachelor's degree in educational sciences or at least a diploma of classic secondary education. Practical training is not required in order to become a substitute for a limited time.
When it comes to secondary schools, ministry officials are not looking for substitute teachers, but for people able to monitor classes in the case that a teacher needs to give lessons online. The rule of four will also apply to school canteens in the future, i.e. only four students instead of ten will be allowed per table.
The rule of four will also apply during PE classes.
