Home Blog Page 29

German section no longer viable in European school Luxembourg II

Gregor Prajs
-
0

There are now only a handful of children (5) in the German maternelle section of Lux II. It seems that the school will go through the motions of insisting that all DE go to Lux II, then finally accept that DE parents will not cooperate and then German will, by default, join the privileged Baltic Rim languages of Lux I. After only 1 term, the German section at Lux II is no longer viable.images

This was predicted, of course, because everyone knew Germans will not transport their children across the entire breadth of Luxembourg just to be discriminated against. But the grey-haired male bureaucrats, who don’t have to accompany those children to school, don’t want to hear that. It doesn’t fit the plan.

Black is white, and there is no advantage to having your young children schooled next to your place of work rather than in another town.

Low registration and transferrals out of European School Mamer

Gregor Prajs
-
1
Low registration and transferrals out of European School Mamer

In the latest meetings of parent representatives with the school authorities there has been an implied admission that the school, as currently organised, is facing issues of viability. The rate of registration of new children to Lux II is so low that the school now wants imagesto radically change the rules of registration, ‘forcing parents with kids in the DE, FR and EN sections to send their kids to Lux II, except in certain circumstances.’

But remember, black is white. There is no disadvantage to having your children at Lux II, and certainly nothing that can’t be fix with a good mobility plan. Don’t ask why Lux II has to force ever wider categories of children to use the school, or why the school needs an increased percentage of non-EU institution staff children, or why the Luxembourg government is so concerned about whether it can deal with the influx of educational refugees from the European School.

And there is no favoritism for workers from the Baltic Rim countries and discrimination against those between the borders of Poland and Bulgaria. To point out this difference of treatment is just not nice. It is what Orwell called crimethink – and there is a palpable fear that you could lose your precarious contract (or teaching) job, or risk individual discrimination of your child, if you dare question the wisdom or fairness of authoritarian decisions made at an inter-institutional level. We dared to raise the self-evident issue of discrimination with the Complaints Board, for which they are now fining us EUR 1000 (see attached letter from Mr Kivinen).

European School Complaints Board denies discrimination – Black is White

Gregor Prajs
-
0

As predicted, the European School Complaints Board has delivered a cowardly and intellectually dishonest decision in our discrimination case. It claims that it is not less favourable to have one’s children registered at Lux II rather than Lux I. There is no advantage to having your creche, pre-school, primary school and after school care facilities at your place of work rather than in a town 12 km away from that work. And the criteria for dividing up the languages are objective and fair – even though it is clear that a simple circle has been drawn around the South Eastern corner of the map of Europe to single out those for the out-of-town facility.

The thinking of the members of the Complaints Board is what George Orwell, in his novel 1984, referred to as blackwhite. Blackwhite means the ability to believe that black is white, and more, to know that black is white, and to forget that one has ever believed the contrary. It is caused by fear, indoctrination and the repression of one’s individual critical thinking. The fear here is caused by the enormity of the problem – to acknowledge the problem would mean having to confront it, and nobody wants to take on that task.

It is no coincidence that both of the Greek members of the Complaints Board were kept off the panel. The German member was also kept off, given that Germans now simply refuse to use Lux II. Instead, the panel was rigged with the remaining members – all from non-Mamer bloc, privileged countries – BE, ES, and FR. With Mr Kivinen from Finland, and not a single women assessing the case, there was little chance that the blackwhite thinking needed to deny discrimination would be challenged.

Dramatic enrollment changes in attempt to prop up failing European school Mamer

Gregor Prajs
-
0

From last week’s European School I Admin Board meeting:

“Lux I had its Admin Board yesterday. Kari Kivinen attended, as well as the Commission representative (whose name none of us got but I think she is same one who went to most of the others). We agreed on an increase of 20% for the new category 3 pupils. Our director and APEEE came under a lot of pressure to increase it to 25% and the Commission cited Mo’s decision to go for 25% several times, as well as Frankfurt, but we held firm and it went through.

We were also supported by the Lux Inspector and the Lux Min Education representative who said that the local system is not in a position to absorb dozens of non-Luxembourgish kids so the increase should be as low as possible. We now have a potential problem as the Lux II director was proposing 25%. Their Admin Board is today. If they adopt 25% then the matter will go to the Budgets Committee and BoG.

As the SG pointed out, we cannot have two schools in the same city with a different policy on this, especially when according to a new joint enrolment policy adopted yesterday we are forcing parents with kids in the DE, FR and EN sections to send their kids to Lux II, except in certain circumstances. And, of course, if your kids are in certain language sections eg. Danish, they have to go to Lux II.”

Gas leak at the European School Woluwe: disaster was narrowly avoided

Gregor Prajs
-
0

The 3200 pupils of the Woluwé St-Lambert European School, located on avenue Oscar Jespers, will be remembering 1 February 2013 for years to come. So will their teachers and the school management for that matter.

On that day, the school had to be evacuated: there was a gas leak. The school was stayed closed for 17 days in all.

A disaster was narrowly avoided. Apparently, it could have been the result of outdated pipes and flaws in the security system.

The school authorities and the parents’ association are now working hand in hand to pinpoint and solve problems linked to this crisis.

On Monday 18 February, the school reopened.

Suddenly the alarm went off

Let us return to the scene of the near-accident with a number of first-hand accounts.

It is the afternoon of Friday 1 February at the Woluwé European School.

The 7th-year secondary students are sitting a BAC examination. The 5th-year and 6th-year pupils are also sitting examinations while the 4th-year is sitting tests.

A number of 6th-year students hoping to enrol with British universities are having to send off their details.

Primary and nursery school pupils are in their classrooms.

Suddenly the alarm goes off. An emergency drill? No it’s the real thing. A smell of gas has been detected in one of the equipment rooms.

The Principal, Pawel Wojtczak, immediately orders the school to be evacuated.

In their haste, many pupils leave behind their satchels, coats, books, exercise books, mobile phones, etc.

Teachers, administrators and members of the Parents’ Association conduct the pupils as fast as possible towards the far end of the recreation ground, the football ground or the bus parking area, ensuring that none are left behind in the school buildings.

The Montgomery police and fire officers are called out at 14.25 and arrive promptly at the scene to take charge of the evacuation. The police then cordon off the area.

Many pupils call their parents on their mobile phones and have to be reminded by the adults present that the use of mobile phones in such circumstances is strictly forbidden because of the risk of explosion.

It is raining. Those without a coat, particularly those who were in the gymnasium, are soon soaked through.

Having cut off the gas and electricity, the firemen realise that the school has no gas pipe layout plans.

Officials from the Public Buildings Authority (i.e. the Belgian Government), which owns the premises, arrive and begin to argue with the school administrators as to who is responsible for the non-existence of such plans.

They are followed by technicians from the Sibelga company, who attempt to locate the origin of the leak or leaks. It is not known whether the piping has given way in one or more places.

Without telephones or computers – the power has been cut off, the on-site school server is inaccessible and there is no back-up system – the administrators issue an initial notification on the Parents’ Association website, announcing that the school will remain closed on Monday 4 February.

The Mayor (Bourgmestre) of Woluwé-St-Lambert, Oliver Maingain, then appears on the scene, announcing that, pending further instructions, no-one will be authorised to enter the school premises apart from those working to resolve the problem.

In the meantime, a large number of secondary school pupils have been gathered together in the school gymnasium. The school buses are now due.

The primary school pupils, who were moved to the bus parking area, then catch their buses home.

A number of emergency meetings are held between the school authorities, the emergency services and the local authorities. Numerous still need to be solved….

The parents arrive

Some parents have been contacted by their children and others over the grapevine. 2400 families are concerned.

Fortunately no-one has suffered intoxication or injury and no explosion has occurred.

Anxious parents begin to converge on the school causing major traffic jams.

17 days out of school

On Tuesday 5 February the parents’ representatives discuss with the school authorities what measures must be taken in order to catch up on lost time, organise homework, recover property left at school, resolve evacuation problems etc.

The mayor flatly refuses to allow parents to recover their children’s property before the school reopens and the premises are sealed off to prevent loss or theft.

1...282930...42Page 29 of 42

European schools parents blog; All rights reserved © 2012 - 2024