Luxembourg is arguing over what time lessons should start

Should children go to school at the crack of dawn? This question has been the subject of debate following a proposal by Pirate Party MP Marc Goergen to move the primary school timetable to earlier hours - for example, from 7:00 to 12:00. Education Minister Claude Meisch strongly disagrees: "If classes start at 7am, many children will have to get up at 6am to catch the 6.30 bus. It's too early."

He cites scientific studies that show: children 3 to 5 years old need 10 to 13 hours of sleep, and 6 to 13 years old need 9 to 11 hours. Thus, in order to get to bed on time, many families would have to radically change their rhythm of life. "This is incompatible with reality," Meisch explains.

The minister also rejected the idea of compressing the timetable into the morning hours, as suggested by Goergen: "Too long a morning has a negative impact on concentration and the ability to learn. Children need a full pause with the opportunity to eat between breakfast and lunch."