Luxembourg

The Luxembourg State organizes and controls the educational system. Compulsory education covers a total of eleven years, two years of preprimary education, six years of primary education, and three years of secondary education. Public education in Luxembourg is free. The costs are paid by the public budget making education one of the largest expenditures in the state budget. Municipalities pay for textbooks and equipment at the primary level. By the Act of 14 July 1986, school children are now paid an allowance. School transport is free. Financial assistance and scholarships are granted to students in higher education based on parental income and academic success.

Private schools are usually Catholic. There are few private schools at the primary and post-primary education levels. They are strictly regulated by the Ministry of Education, which must approve a private school's charter, curricula, graduation certificates, teaching methods, the professional qualifications of the private school's director and staff, and the overall educational environment. Private schools are free to select their director and staff and to determine their fee structure.

Luxembourg is a multilingual nation with three official languages: French, German, and Letzeburgesch (Luxemburgish). The cabinet level Ministry of Education makes the important decisions regarding education in the Grand Duchy. The curricula for the different types of schools are decided by the Ministry, as are the budgets for education and educational institutions, and the management and the survey of all secondary schools. Financial responsibility for preprimary and primary education is divided between the municipal governments and the national government. Vocational education, private education, school inspections, textbook selection, and curricula are the exclusive domain of the Ministry of Education. The Service de Coordination de la Recherche et de l'Innovation Pédagogiques et Technologiques (SCRIPT), a department within the Ministry of Education, has jurisdiction over research and innovation in the various teaching fields, including the integration of information and communication technologies in teaching and analysis and evaluation of the entire educational system in Luxembourg. The Centre de Psychologie et d'Orientation Scolaires (CPOS) has the obligation to provide students and parents with information about the school system in Luxembourg, career and professional options, and psycho-pedagogic guidance. This department informs students about higher education choices within Luxembourg and abroad, guides graduates into the work place, provides financial assistance, and works with public and private institutions as students make the transition from school to the work place. Public research is regulated by the Act of March 9, 1987, which organizes and encourages technological development and the transfer of technology between public and private sectors through one of three public centers, Centre de Recherché Publics (CRP): Centre Universitaire de Luxembourg for literature, history, natural sciences, mathematics, and physics, the CRP "Henri Tudor," Institut Supérieur de Technologie for automation in industrial production, and the CRP Santé (Health), Laboratoire National de Santé for health research. The Recherché and Développement Department within the Ministry of Education coordinates the activities of the CRPs and offers financial assistance to people undertaking research. Additional departments within the Ministry of Education include Administrative Organization and Staff, Preschool Education and Primary Education, Secondary Education, Technical Secondary Education, Vocational Training, Higher Education, Adult Training, Special Education, Statistics, Publications, Budget, School Buildings, School Sports, the Department of European and International Affairs, the Eurydice Information Unit, and Scientific research.

Educational responsibility for preschool and primary school education rests with the municipalities and is confined to the financial and administrative management of the schools. Local political authority for education is delegated to the Commission Scolaire, which includes the mayor or his delegate, a church representative, and three to five members from the community chosen by the town council.