“All inclusive” day

On June 20, 2024, the OEJQS organized a day entirely dedicated to inclusive education at the eduPôle in Walferdange. The aim of the event was to raise the profile of inclusive education in Luxembourg, and to provide the public with crucial new information.

The event was attended by Claude Meisch, Minister of Education, Children and Youth, and H.R.H. Prince Louis of Luxembourg, representative of the Board of Directors of the Fondation du Grand-Duc et de la Grande-Duchesse, and brought together over 200 players from the worlds of education, research and politics.

The day, punctuated by presentations, workshops and a round-table discussion, encouraged constructive dialogue on best practices in the field, challenges and strategies to be adopted to guarantee effective school inclusion. A number of presentations were given on various topics:

Martine Frising and Anne-Marie Muller of the OEJQS presented the situation of special-needs pupils in inclusion in Luxembourg, highlighting the importance of the local level in inclusion projects and testifying to a favourable climate of collaboration between the players involved. However, the excessive complexity of the inclusion process, characterized by a multitude of players struggling to define their respective missions and responsibilities, underlines the need for political alignment to meet these challenges. To find out more about this report, please click here: edulink.lu/incl
Inclusive education policy in Europe, presented by Dr. Annet de Vroey; she emphasizes that, despite the differences in legislation and practice between European countries, it is essential to develop a global understanding of the players and processes involved if the transition to quality education for all is to succeed.
Inclusive co-teaching: definitions, effectiveness and conditions, a presentation in which Prof. Philippe Tremblay outlines the advantages of co-teaching as the most effective service model for the schooling of special needs students, emphasizing its coherence with an inclusive school and its benefits for all students and teachers.
The division of educational labor in the context of the inclusive school in French-speaking Belgium was analysed in the light of the study on the emergence of the inclusive school (École inclusive – EI) referential and its implications for the reorganization of responsibilities and areas of intervention, as explained by Amandine Bernal of UCLouvain.

In addition to these high-profile presentations, six thematic workshops were organized. These workshops explored four main areas: good practice in inclusive education, the challenges encountered, possible solutions, and key messages and questions to be addressed to political decision-makers. The day’s discussions and exchanges, culminating in a round table, will form the basis of an OEJQS publication summarizing the main findings and conclusions of these high-level exchanges.