two decades of reform in higher education in europe: 1980 ...higher education qualifications...

E D U C AT I O NAND CULTURE

E U R O P E A NCOMMISSION

TWO DECADES OFREFORM IN HIGHER

EDUCATION IN EUROPE:1980 ONWARDS

EURYDICE

• Eurydice Studies •

TWO DECADES OF REFORMIN HIGHER EDUCATION

IN EUROPE: 1980 ONWARDS

LUXEMBOURG

National description

Contact point:

Unité d’EurydiceMinistère de la culture,

de l’enseignement supérieur etde la recherche (CEDIES)

Route de Longwy 2801940 Luxembourg

Luxembourg

EurydiceThe Information Networkon Education in Europe

Information edited and published by the Eurydice European Unit, Rue d’Arlon 15, B-1050 Brussels

Eurydice web site: http://www.eurydice.org

http://www.eurydice.org

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LUXEMBOURG

INTRODUCTION

The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg is the smallest Member State in the European Union. It currently has apopulation of nearly 400,000 inhabitants living within a surface area of 2,586 square kilometres. Situatedat the crossroads of several cultures, Luxembourg has hosted numerous European institutions since theearly stages of the integration process. Located between France and Germany, Luxembourg is a trilingualcountry - adding French and German to its own language, Letzeburgesch. This situation has beenconfirmed since 1984 in a law governing the use of the languages (Act of 24 February 1994).Luxembourg has thus had three official languages since that date (Letzeburgesch, German and French).

Luxembourg has never had a full university, and the current network of non-university higher educationinstitutions is relatively recent. The absence of a full structure of university or non-university highereducation has fostered the tradition that young Luxembourgers pursue post-secondary educationabroad. Among the countries in which students from Luxembourg most frequently choose to pursuehigher education should be mentioned the Grand Duchy’s three neighbouring countries (Germany,Belgium and France) in particular. However, a significant number of young Luxembourgers also attendAustrian, British and Swiss universities.

The post-secondary education system in Luxembourg currently includes:

• university courses providing education at the level of first-year university studies geared to theprogrammes of universities in neighbouring countries;

• a four-year cycle of studies (from 1997) in the field of technology;

• two three-year cycles of studies in the field of training for advanced educational child care staff andteachers;

• a two-year cycle of vocational training in the economic sector;

• a two-year vocational training course at post-secondary level for specialisations in the tertiary sectorand an artistic field leading to the award of an advanced technical training certificate (brevet detechnicien supérieur - BTS);

• the International University Institute of Luxembourg (Institut universitaire international de Luxembourg),which offers short courses of seminars at the third level of university studies.

The issue of equivalence of degrees and certificates, which is particularly crucial in a country where themajority of students pursue study abroad, has been resolved by the signing of bilateral agreementsbetween Luxembourg and its neighbouring countries and by assigning a transfer value to certificatesawarded in Luxembourg in order to allow young Luxembourgers to pursue their education abroad.

Luxembourg currently has two university institutes: the Luxembourg University Centre (Centreuniversitaire de Luxembourg - CUNLUX), which also organises a short course of studies in highermanagement studies, and the International University Institute of Luxembourg. There are three furtherhigher education institutes: the Higher Institute of Technology (Institut supérieur de technologie - IST),which now offers a training cycle at university level; the Higher Institute for Pedagogical Studies andResearch (Institut supérieur d’études et de recherches pédagogiques - ISERP), which replaced thePedagogical Institute (Institut pédagogique) in 1983 in the context of the reform of training for pre-schooland primary school teachers; and the Institute for Educational and Social Studies (Institut d’étudeséducatives et sociales - IEES), which replaced the Training Institute for Educational Child Care Staff andInstructors (Institut de formation pour éducateurs et moniteurs - IFEM) in 1990.

Source: Eurydice, 2000.

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1. LEGISLATION FOR CHANGE

The foundations of the current higher education system in Luxembourg date back to the early 1970s andlegislation and regulations concerning the Luxembourg University Centre and criteria for recognisinghigher education qualifications obtained abroad (Act of 18 June 1969).

In response to the demand for vocational training at a higher level, the Luxembourg University Centrecreated a short (two-year) course in management studies within the law and economics departmentduring the 1983/84 academic year. At the same time, the duration of training for pre-school and primaryschool teachers was increased from two to three years with the creation of ISERP, which offers bothteacher training and educational and pedagogical research.

Public research activities in the Grand Duchy are implemented on the basis of the Act of 9 March 1987,which organises technological research and development in the public sector and technology transfersand scientific and technical cooperation between firms and the public sector. Three public researchcentres, (centres de recherches publics - CRP) currently organise technology transfers and scientificcooperation (on the basis of joint research projects) with businesses:

• the University Centre CRP, attached to the Luxembourg University Centre;

• the Henri Tudor CRP, attached to the Higher Institute of Technology;

• the Health CRP, attached to the National Health Laboratory (Laboratoire national de santé).

Public research centres concentrate their activities primarily in fields that have proved to be of economicinterest at national level. The University Centre and Higher Institute of Technology carry out most of theresearch projects. Most projects carried out by the University Centre involve human and social sciences.Other projects carried out by the University Centre involve subjects in the exact and natural sciences.The Higher Institute of Technology performs research exclusively on projects involving technology andindustrial production. The projects at the Health CRP relate to the fields of immunology, molecularbiology and toxicology.

The public research centres are legal entities. Integrated into other public establishments, the CRPsenjoy academic and financial autonomy to a large extent. In particular, they have access to the followingresources:

• an annual financial contribution from the state budget;

• co-payments from firms or other national or international bodies in the context of research anddevelopment projects;

• donations, bequests or revenue generated by the CRPs themselves.

The Act of 6 August 1990 created the latest of the higher education institutions, known as the Institutefor Educational and Social Studies (Institut d’études éducatives et sociales - IEES). This instituteprovides training primarily for advanced educational childcare staff working in the education and socialsector.

The Act of 4 September 1990 concerning the reform of technical secondary education called for theimplementation of post-secondary training with a vocational orientation leading to an advancedtechnical training certificate after two years of training. Four specialised branches exist at the presenttime (three in the tertiary sector and one in an artistic field). These courses are offered in two technicallycées (upper secondary schools) in the capital. The Grand-Ducal Regulation of 29 November 1991decides the details of the organisation of training courses leading to the BTS (advanced technicaltraining certificate).


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During the period under review, the debate focused on the question of whether or not Luxembourgshould or could provide for a structure approaching a full university. Proponents of extending theuniversity institution argued that it would be useful for Luxembourg to have its own (even partial)university structures and insisted on the benefits with respect to academic research and toindependence from foreign university institutions (especially in the context of continual changes instudent admissions criteria). Opponents of a full university argued that the cost of such a project wouldbe high, that an insufficient number of academic staff were available, that it was important forLuxembourg students to pursue higher education abroad and that this had consequences theyconsidered positive for the country and that full universities existed in the regions neighbouring theGrand Duchy. Student organisations, in particular, shared this opinion.

The legislature appears ultimately to have taken a certain number of arguments from each side intoaccount to develop a project which, while it does not establish a full university, gives the relevantauthorities (most notably the University Centre) an opportunity to create additional courses that gobeyond the first year of studies available at the present time, while recommending close collaborationwith university institutions in the Grande Region (Lorraine-Saar-Rhine-Palatinate).

No serious controversy existed with regard to the extension of the duration of studies at the HigherInstitute of Technology. The legislature wished to allow it to compete on an equal footing with foreigninstitutions (for example, instituts industriels in Belgium and Fachhochschulen in Germany). In addition,the employment market and economic sector were expected to see positive benefits.

This discussion took place in the general context of major reforms carried out in the Luxembourgeducation system as a whole since 1989. Important reforms affected general and technical secondaryeducation (technical and vocational training) in particular.

As the pros and cons of extending the University Centre had already been discussed for years withoutresulting in concrete projects, the Minister of National Education of the time (Marc Fischbach of the PSC,Christian Socialist Party) considered that the time had come to make a definite break. However, it wasonly under his successor (of the same political party), Mrs Hennicot-Schoepges, that the draft of adefinitive act was presented to the Chamber of Deputies and passed in 1996.

The Act of 11 August 1996 consolidated the existing structure of higher education and opened the doorto new developments. The law was designed to:

• outline the framework of public higher education in the Grand Duchy;

• confer a new status on the University Centre and Higher Institute of Technology;

• redefine the two institutions’ mission.

The Government reorganised all of higher education within one and the same legal structure. Thisstructure defined higher education as it is provided in Luxembourg and the establishments that organiseit. It established a Higher Council for National Education (Conseil supérieur de l’éducation nationale)comprising representatives of all the establishments and gave the Luxembourg University Centre andHigher Institute of Technology the status of legally autonomous public establishments subject to thesupervision of the Ministry of Education.

2. MANAGEMENT, FINANCE AND CONTROL

The Ministry of National Education and Vocational Training oversees the entire Luxembourg educationsystem centrally. Professional associations share this function in the field of vocational training.



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Grand-ducal and ministerial regulations establish general objectives, courses in compulsory andoptional subjects, examination procedures and the rules for assessing the validity of degrees andcertificates in school and higher education.

The 1996 Act introduced the notion of financial, administrative, pedagogical and scientific autonomy forthe principal higher education establishments, the CUNLUX and IST. As described above, it alsocreated a consultative body: the National Council of Higher Education. This council is made up ofrepresentatives of higher education establishments, public research centres and persons selectedprimarily on the basis of their qualifications.

The purpose of this body is to:

• submit an annual, global evaluation of the activities of public higher education to the Minister ofNational Education;

• provide its opinion on questions submitted by the Minister of National Education;

• present to the Minister on its own initiative any proposals, suggestions or information relevant to theproblems of higher education and any legislative reforms or innovations it considers necessary;

• coordinate the provision of services in the area of third-cycle education and continuing training athigher education level.

The 1996 act reforming higher education made the University Centre and Higher Institute of Technologyinto public establishments with a legal personality. These establishments enjoy financial, administrative,pedagogical and scientific autonomy. They are administered under private law. Nonetheless, theMinistry of National Education and Vocational Training is responsible for supervising them.

Each of the two institutions mentioned above has a board of governors, a scientific council anddepartmental councils. The board of governors defines the establishment’s general policy and hasresponsibility for managing the institution it represents both in legal and non-legal matters. The Ministerof National Education supervises the activities of the two establishments. All decisions of the board ofgovernors are communicated directly to the Minister, who takes decisions regarding the issues subjectto his approval. The Minister also appoints a government commissioner to supervise the activities of theestablishments.

2.1. FINANCING OF INSTITUTIONS

Until 1996, all higher education institutions were completely financed by the State.

In granting the University Centre and the Higher Institute of Technology a new legal status, the Act of 11August 1996 reforming higher education gives these two institutions financial and administrativeautonomy. This means that in future the resources of these institutions can be made up of an annualfinancial contribution from the State’s budget of revenue and expenditure, income from the institutions’own teaching and research activities, donations and bequests, and revenue from the management oftheir own assets.

The overall budget that Luxembourg allocates to education is among the largest in Europe.


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2.2. QUALITY CONTROL AND EVALUATION

The Ministry of National Education oversees higher education and produces a global evaluation of thequality and activities of higher education institutions.

At the present time, there is no real evaluation process. The reform of higher education has in fact onlyled to the extension of the duration of education at the Higher Institute of Technology and theestablishment of new administrative structures at this Institute and the University Centre.

3. ACCESS AND WASTAGE

Until the early 1980s (when the first pupils received a technical secondary school leaving certificate),only pupils holding a general school-leaving certificate were admitted to higher education institutions inLuxembourg. Following the reform of technical secondary education, access was extended to holdersof a technician’s certificate (diplôme de technicien), although in a rather limited fashion. At present,graduates of Luxembourg schools and foreign schools recognised as equivalent have access to allbranches at the University Centre, Higher Institute for Pedagogical Studies and Research, Institute forEducational and Social Studies and the two short cycles of education. Students holding a technician’scertificate are only admitted to the lower division of engineering studies in the science department of theUniversity Centre. In addition, they may be admitted to the Higher Institute of Technology and to the shortcourses mentioned above. However, the different types of technician’s certificates only grant access tohigher education in the specialisation pursued during technical secondary education.

Students are only admitted to courses and seminars at the International University Institute onpresentation of final second cycle university diploma in economics, law or political science.

Students are admitted to ISERP on the basis of their results in the secondary or technical secondaryschool leaving examination. Candidates must also sit a test to assess their knowledge of the German,French and Letzeburgesch languages. Students must then pass a competitive examination to beadmitted to the profession as a pre-school or primary school teacher.

Secondary school teachers, in turn, must hold a second-cycle university diploma awarded by a foreignuniversity in the field they wish to teach before they can sit the competitive examination for admission toteacher training.

4. FINANCIAL AID TO STUDENTS

Attendance of higher education establishments in Luxembourg is free of charge with the exception ofcourses and seminars at the International University Institute.

The Act of 1977 introduced a new financial aid system for students. This assistance could take the formof a grant or a loan with or without interest depending on the institution. The Act of 13 March 1992amended this system. It replaced interest-free loans with low-interest loans (2%) and introduced asupplementary grant to be awarded solely to students who complete their two first years of study in amaximum of three years in order to encourage students to finish their studies quickly.

The following are entitled to receive financial assistance for higher education from the State:

• students with Luxembourg nationality and citizens of other Member States of the European Unionresident in Luxembourg;



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• foreign students who are not citizens of a Member State of the European Union who are domiciled inthe Grand Duchy and hold a school-leaving certificate awarded by the European School inLuxembourg or another Luxembourg school.

The reform of the 1977 Act on financial assistance for higher education studies is part of a vastprogramme to reform the Luxembourg education system as a whole. The objective was to promoteyoung people’s pursuit of higher education in Luxembourg by awarding them more favourableassistance. Part of this financial assistance may consist of a non-refundable grant and/or an interest-bearing loan. Grants are awarded on the basis of the economic circumstances (taxable income, otheraid already awarded) of students and/or their parents. The State guarantees loans awarded by financialinstitutions. It also arranges for students to receive very favourable interest rates (2%) and pays thedifference between this and the market rate.

Certain higher education institutions such as the International University Institute award a certainnumber of grants to students who provide a recommendation from a university establishment or asuperior, if they are already employed, along with their application.

No financial assistance is awarded to citizens of foreign countries who are not domiciled in Luxembourgand whose parents do not pay taxes in the country.

It should be noted that the Ministry of National Education and Vocational Training also makes grantsavailable to students for post-university studies, as well as research training (the latter type of grant wascreated on the basis of the Act of 9 March 1987 on the organisation of public research in Luxembourg).

5. CURRICULUM AND TEACHING

5.1. COURSE PLANNING, STRUCTURE AND CONTENT

The higher education reforms carried out during the 1980s and early 1990s made it possible to createcourses oriented primarily towards professional practice (for example the short course in highermanagement studies’ at the University Centre). The reform of teacher training for the pre-school andprimary levels and for advanced educational child care staff has not diminished the importance of itspractical orientation.

At present, secondary school teachers receive practical training in a teaching placement lasting threeyears. During this period, teacher trainees are already assigned to lycées or technical lycées where theyteach a certain number of lessons while they take theoretical training courses and seminars and preparea final thesis.

Training for teaching staff in pre-school and primary education lasting three years also includes severalpractical training periods in schools.

Finally, additional training courses provided at the University Centre at post-university level for futurelawyers and company auditors focus primarily on professional practice.

Note also that training leading to the BTS (advanced technical training certificate) created on the basisof the Act on the reform of technical secondary education of 4 September 1990 combines theoreticalcourses and practical work and training placements.


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The Act reforming higher education did not aim to modify existing data at the level of the training coursesmentioned above.

5.2. TEACHING AND ASSESSMENT

There have been no reforms designed solely to modify teaching methods in higher education. Coursesare provided ex cathedra at CUNLUX, whereas at IST, they involve practical placements. As a result,teachers enjoy complete autonomy and thus are free to choose their own teaching methods. Asmentioned above, practical placements and professional experience in the field constitute an importantaspect of advanced studies leading to the professions of teacher, lawyer and technician.

Of the teaching methods employed, ex cathedra courses, practical examinations and work placementsin companies should be mentioned. The implementation of advanced technical training (BTS) at post-secondary level, which was conceived from the beginning as combining theory and practice, has hada strong influence on teaching methods in these courses.

Luxembourg still does not provide national distance learning at the present time. Individuals interestedin this type of teaching generally have to turn to foreign institutions operating in this field.

Given the Grand Duchy’s particular situation in the field of higher education, it does not currentlypossess a structured or even organised teaching body similar to those in neighbouring countries for thetraining of teachers in higher education. As a result, there is no specific training for teachers providingcourses in the various post-secondary teaching institutions. However, as most higher educationteachers in Luxembourg also provide courses at secondary level, they have received very intensive andin-depth teacher training.

6. INTERNATIONALISATION

As it lacks a full higher education structure, the phenomenon of internationalisation is rather different inLuxembourg. In fact, the majority of students in Luxembourg are obliged to take courses or pursuehigher education abroad. Statistically speaking, students most often attend higher education institutionsin the neighbouring countries (Belgium, France and Germany). As the Luxembourg University Centrecurrently only offers the first year of university education in a limited number of fields of study, numerousequivalency agreements have been concluded between the University Centre and foreign universitiesto allow students who graduate from the University Centre to be admitted to the second year of study.

In addition, the University Centre frequently carries out academic exchanges and participates inresearch projects with partner universities. Some professors from partner universities also providecourses at the University Centre. The Higher Institute of Technology, the Higher Institute for PedagogicalStudy and Research and the Institute for Educational and Social Studies all cultivate partnerships withsimilar institutions abroad. Luxembourg’s peculiar situation with respect to higher education and itsgeographical and cultural situation generally have always led it to be very open to foreign influences.

Nonetheless, unlike other countries in the European Union, only a small percentage of foreign studentsattend higher education institutions in Luxembourg. This percentage includes those students who, whilenot Luxembourgers by nationality, are residents of the Grand Duchy.

Given Luxembourg’s peculiar linguistic situation, higher education courses are usually held in French oreven German (at the Higher Institute of Technology). Preparatory language courses for foreign students



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are not currently offered, however. For this reason, knowledge of French, German or English dependingon the case is an automatic requirement, although there is no language test at the beginning of trainingor studies.

7. FUTURE PERSPECTIVES AND CONCLUSIONS

Luxembourg is a relatively rich country which depends primarily on the service sector (commerce andbanking). Recently, however, it has been necessary to temper the image of Luxembourg as a privilegedsociety. The number of young people studying in Luxembourg and abroad continues to increase, but,despite the creation of numerous new positions, Luxembourg has to contend with increasingunemployment among university graduates. This is due to the fact that the labour market extends acrossnational borders and creates competition with graduates in the border regions.

The Act of 1996 did not aim to create a full university in Luxembourg. Instead, it was designed to extendhigher education’s mission in the different subject areas as a whole.

As a result, the doors have been opened and future developments could lead, if not to a full university,at least to a higher education system that is more complete than it is now.

Glossary of frequently recurring acronyms

BTS Brevet de technicien supérieur (advanced technical training certificate)

CUNLUX Centre universitaire de Luxembourg (Luxembourg University Centre)

IST Institut supérieur de technologie (Higher Institute of Technology)

ISERP Institut supérieur d’études et de recherches pédagogiques (Higher Institute for PedagogicalStudies and Research)

IEES Institut d’études éducatives et sociales (Institute for Educational and Social Studies)

IFEM Institut de formation pour éducateurs et moniteurs (Training Institute for Educational ChildCare Staff and Instructors)

CRP Centres de recherches publics (public research centres)

Bibliography

Legislation on education

Act of 18 June 1969 on higher education and the recognition of foreign higher education qualifications

Grand-Ducal Regulation of 7 July 1969 on the academic organisation of university courses

Act of 11 February 1974 on the status of the University Centre

Act of 8 December 1977 on state financial assistance for higher education studies

Act of 21 May 1979 on the creation of the Higher Institute of Technology

Act of 6 September 1983 on the creation of the Higher Institute for Pedagogical Study and Research


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Grand-Ducal Regulation of 25 October 1984 on the organisation of a university ‘short course in highermanagement studies’ within the law and economics faculty

Act of 9 March 1987 on the organisation of public research in Luxembourg

Act of 7 September 1987 on the extension of the University Centre

Act of 6 August 1990 on the organisation of training educational child care staff

Grand-Ducal Regulation of 29 November 1991 on the organisation of training leading to an advancedtechnical training certificate

Act of 11 August 1996 reforming higher education


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