"Screen-life balance": for a healthy balance between screens and real life for our children

At the press conference for the start of the 2024/2025 school year, the Minister for Education, Children and Youth, Claude Meisch, highlighted several aspects of digitality.

I'm concerned about the effects of excessive smartphone and social media use on our children. Moreover, time spent looking at your smartphone is often wasted, this time is then lacking for other activities that are essential for children's healthy development. The key is to strike the right balance between the digital world and real or analogue life. To achieve this balance, we need clear rules – at home, at school, and in society.

Screen-life balance is a top priority for this school year, whether in formal or non-formal education or in partnership with parents. The Ministry of Education, Children and Youth is, therefore, proposing new regulations for 2024/2025 on the use of smartphones in educational establishments. 

Smartphone ban in primary schools

From Easter 2025, smartphones will be completely banned from all primary schools.

At school: physical distance from the smartphone during lessons

There must be a physical distance between the student and their smartphone at school during lessons.

Beyond this principle, secondary schools are free to introduce additional restrictions as part of their educational autonomy, such as regulating smartphone use according to the pupils' age, the time of day, or the different areas of the school building.

These measures may go as far as a general ban on smartphones.

The schools have until Pentecost to develop or adapt their own concept.

Raising awareness and strengthening parents

The measures taken in schools are accompanied by active awareness-raising among parents. On 30 September 2024, a significant campaign dedicated to screen-life balance will be launched, with concrete recommendations for the safe and responsible use of digital tools according to children's age categories.

This campaign will be accompanied by a series of information sessions and conferences organised by Eltereforum in every region of the country. From the start of the new school year, primary school teachers will distribute a parent letter (Elterebréif) to all parents with recommendations for achieving a good balance between screens and real life.

Action plan "sécher.digital"

The screen-life balance, recommendations for parents, and measures to be taken in educational establishments are among the four pillars of the action plan sécher.digital developed over the coming months and years. The four pillars are:

• achieving a healthy screen-life balance,
• promoting the responsible use of artificial intelligence in schools,
• strengthening digital skills at school,
• enhancing administrative simplification in the field of education.

Other policy priorities for the 2024/2025 school year

In addition to digitality, Minister Claude Meisch detailed the other political priorities for the coming year, which aim to make Luxembourg's education system fairer while adapting it to the population and contemporary technological and societal requirements.

Extending the range of state-run European schools

Three additional state-run European schools will open their doors by 2028 to meet the huge demand. These schools can respond flexibly to the different languages spoken by pupils, thus providing equitable educational opportunities for pupils from migrant backgrounds.

Preparing the implementation of the ALPHA project – zesumme wuessen

The choice of literacy in German or French also offers new flexibility in the traditional school system and better opportunities for the future right from the start of the school career. This is why the experience gained from the ALPHA – zesumme wuessen pilot project will continue to be analysed. At the same time, preparations are underway for the project to be rolled out across the board for the 2026/2027 school year.

Modern basic education programmes

In the wake of a wide-ranging consultation process on the new syllabus for our primary education, which is based on four pillars (well-being, participation, multilingualism and digitality) and is scheduled for the start of the 2026/2027 school year, working groups of teachers will devote the 2024/2025 school year to describing the content. In addition, the first training courses will be organised for teachers.

A reform of the preparation route

The Ministry will present a reform of the preparation route after having consulted numerous teachers and schools in the past. An extensive survey of regents is currently supplementing this consultation. The focus is again on the inclusion of children and young people with special educational needs, a reorientation of teaching methods towards more practical learning, and greater flexibility in the use of languages by pupils.

Further development and promotion of vocational training

Every student should be able to start a vocational training course, regardless of their language profile. Therefore, the Ministry and the professional chambers have decided to work together to offer all vocational training courses in the craft sector in French by the start of the 2027/2028 academic year. The English-language offering will also be extended.

The Ministry will launch a major campaign in collaboration with professional chambers to promote vocational training's attractiveness and the opportunities it offers.

Improving inclusion step by step

In recent years, on the basis of a wide-ranging evaluation, major investments have been made to support children and young people with special educational needs. To ensure that these services reach the families concerned, the various skills centres are continuing to open regional offices, and the support teams for pupils with special educational needs (ESEB) are continuing to be developed, particularly in secondary schools. In primary schools, 50 assistants for pupils with special educational needs (A-EBS) have been recruited this year to strengthen school inclusion. To cope with the growing number of children and young people with behavioural problems, additional socio-therapeutic centres will be created, where children attend school and receive therapeutic support.

The Youth Protection Act by the end of the year

The Youth Protection Bill will be finalised in 2024. It ensures better support, help, and protection for children, young people, and their families. Further work is also underway to network the Office National de l'Enfance (ONE) 's work with schools.

Press release by the Ministry of Education, Children and Youth