Toilets in schools will remain separate

The Luxembourg Ministry of Education has clarified the situation surrounding the sanitary facilities project in new state schools amid heated public and political debate. In a press release published on Monday, the ministry confirmed that the pilot project will include three options: separate toilets for girls, separate toilets for boys, and gender-neutral cubicles accessible to all students.

Minister of Education Claude Meisch had already outlined this position in an interview with RTL, but the initial presentation of the initiative to the parliamentary committee at the end of January caused confusion. Some MPs and members of the public were left with the impression that future secondary school buildings could be equipped exclusively with unisex toilets, without the traditional gender separation.

The uncertainty provoked a sharp reaction, including within the ruling coalition. Representatives of the Christian Social People's Party (CSV), a government partner, were reportedly taken aback and publicly expressed their disagreement with the idea of completely abandoning separate sanitary facilities.

The ministry emphasises that such a scenario has never been considered. Gender-neutral toilets are intended as an additional option designed to take into account the diverse needs of the school community, but not to replace the familiar and fundamentally important infrastructure. In this way, the authorities are seeking to preserve existing norms while reducing social tensions around an issue that has proved to be much more sensitive than originally anticipated.