Luxembourg's schools have become a source of stress
Kübra Arslaner, Unsplash
A national survey on well-being in the school environment conducted by the Observatory on Childhood, Youth and Educational Quality (OEJQS) revealed a contradictory picture: many students like school, especially those in the lower grades, but high levels of stress and fatigue remain a common problem - among students and teachers alike.
The study involved more than 25,000 students and 3,000 teachers and was conducted in 2021, during the Covid-19 pandemic, in collaboration with the University of Liège (Belgium) to ensure methodological rigour.
The majority of students described school as a "nice place", especially in primary school. However, there is a worrying trend among middle and high school students: many complain about the lack of support from teachers and feel high levels of fatigue and stress.
The most disturbing data concerns teachers. According to the report:
- 75% of teachers feel emotionally drained several days a week or daily.
- 79 per cent stated that they were overloaded with administrative tasks, which was a major problem undermining the quality of teaching and motivation.
The survey was presented to the parliamentary education committee on the initiative of the Green Party (Déi Gréng). MP Francine Closener (LSAP) criticised the lack of teacher training in social and emotional competences, pointing to a vicious circle: student demotivation → teacher burnout → even greater student apathy.
Ricardo Marques (CSV) emphasised that teachers must be leaders in the classroom, comparing them to "captains of the ship".
Education Minister Claude Meisch said the government is exploring ways to reduce administrative burden through AI. More research on the impact of digital devices on students' psychological well-being is also planned.
