Luxembourg’s schools will require significantly more teachers in languages – German, English and French – as well as in maths over the next five years. That is according to a response from Higher Education Minister Stéphanie Obertin and Education Minister Claude Meisch, both from the Democratic Party, to a parliamentary question submitted by MPs Barbara Agostino and André Bauler. also both from the DP.
According to the ministers, three main factors are driving the growing demand: rising pupil numbers, reduced overtime among teachers, and the need to replace retiring staff.
Between the 2025/26 and 2029/30 school years, 43 German, 57 English, 61 French and 74 maths teachers are expected to retire.
Additional posts will also be created to meet the needs of a growing student population, the ministers confirmed in their written response. Over the next five years, Luxembourg will require 40 more German teachers, 37 in English, 48 in French and 36 in maths.
Luxembourg teachers are best paid in the world
Currently, many teachers are working overtime. If all of these additional teaching hours were to be replaced by new full-time positions, a further 36 German, 40 English, 50 French and 51 maths teachers would also be needed.
This brings the estimated total requirement for the next five years to 119 German, 134 English, 159 French and 161 maths teachers. However, the ministry stressed that a complete reduction in overtime is “hardly realistic”, as some additional hours are unavoidable for organisational reasons.
Study choices may not ease shortage
Currently, 84 secondary education students are pursuing their Master’s degrees at the University of Luxembourg, including 26 in maths, 19 in German, 29 in French and 10 in Luxembourgish, the ministers noted.
Beyond the university, many Luxembourgers are studying abroad in disciplines that could lead to teaching careers. In total, 502 students are enrolled in languages and literature programmes across six countries, while another 392 are studying maths and statistics.
However, the ministers cautioned that many of these programmes have a broader academic scope, meaning graduates may ultimately choose careers outside teaching and not all of them will be available to fill the expected vacancies in Luxembourg’s schools.
(This article has first been published by the Luxemburger Wort. AI translated, with editing and adaptation by Lucrezia Reale.)
