On 14 and 15 April 2016, a Maltese delegation was received in the Grand Duchy to receive advice from the Department for the Education of Foreign Children of the Luxembourg Ministry of Education, Children and Youth.
Sharing the status of a small country with Luxembourg and having recently been faced with migration, Malta looked to the Grand Duchy for experience in schooling foreign children. An EU Member State since 2005, Malta's immigration is characterised by the county's location between Sicily, Libya and Tunisia, making the island a bridge for many migrants travelling from North Africa to Europe. At 6%, the percentage of foreigners is steadily growing and there are now a little less than 3,000 foreign children attending the local education system.
The delegation was composed of five primary and secondary school directors and led by Raymond Facciol, Head of 'Migrant Learners and Client Support' of the Maltese Ministry of Education and Employment. During the two-day visit, the group learned about the organisation of the reception and integration of foreign students, whether the children of migrants or asylum seekers.
Presentation topics included on Luxembourg's education system and school provision for foreign language students; the Centre de psychologie et d'orientation scolaires (CPOS) and the Services de psychologie et d'orientation scolaires (SPOS); the CASNA reception cell for new students over the age of 12; and intercultural mediators.
Several visits were also arranged, such as to reception classes at the Belair primary school; the Francophone insertion class for young adults (CLIJA) and the anglophone class at the Lycée Michel Lucius; and the students of the francophone and germanophone insertion classes and International Baccalaureate class at the Lycée technique du Centre.
Plans were announced to continue this collaboration between the two departments as part of the exchange of good practices between Member States as encouraged by the European Commission.
Photo by MENEJ
