Workshop “Patterns of linguistic inequalities in education”

On 17 November 2022, the Observatoire de l’enfance, de la jeunesse et la qualité scolaire (OEJQS) organised the seminar “Patterns of linguistic inequalities in education”.

A central challenge for education policy in Luxembourg is the integration of pupils with a migrant background into the inherently trilingual school system. Linguistic competence in the three national languages is to be understood as the essence of cultural integration and is deeply embedded in the debate on equal opportunities in education. Moreover, it is a task shared by the formal, non-formal and informal dimensions of education.

In this context, various aspects of teaching and learning in multilingual contexts were discussed at the seminar, e.g. the curricular issue (the chronological order of language learning; literacy in German and/or French); (re-)distribution policies to counteract disparities (targeted allocation of resources, free homework support); types of schools with alternative language policies (international state schools) or the impact of language skills on the whole learning process (including non-language subjects).

Multilingualism and social inequalities are among the thematic priorities of the OEJQS, and both are cross-cutting issues in the education system with its two strands of formal and non-formal education. As the Observatory sees itself as a bridge builder between the different actors in education, our intention is to create a platform for exchange with experts in research, educational practice and educational administration. Through our seminar we want to promote an open exchange between experts in order to identify the main priorities for action in the multilingual education system.

See the summary of the seminar (in German) by clicking here:

View the seminar photos here: