No to the retraining course “Bachelor en formation pédagogique – BFP”

The teacher unions SNE/CGFP and SEW/OGBL, together with the student representatives of the BScE program at the University of Luxembourg, are working closely together on the issue of teacher training.

In September 2023, the 2nd edition of the professional retraining course for teachers will be launched. The course will lead to a “Bachelor en Formation pédagogique”: Holders of a school-related bachelor’s degree, after a year of study in pedagogy and didactics, have access to the teaching competition for cycles 2 to 4. This puts them on an equal footing with “Bachelor en Sciences d’Éducation” students.

Not only the two unions SEW/OGBL and SNE/CGFP, but also representatives of the BScE students are against these new measures. After all, the retraining student, who has to acquire the basics of teaching after a year of accelerated courses, has the advantage over the BScE student of having two bachelor’s degrees after 4 years. This gives them the opportunity to switch to a field other than education if they wish to do so in the course of their professional life. The fact that one year of study with 6 weeks of internship does not provide as much knowledge and experience as four years of study with 30 weeks of internship should be obvious to everyone, especially in a profession where practical experience plays an important role. It is even more incomprehensible that the Ministry of Education has chosen this path. After all, we’re talking about our children, who deserve the best possible education.

This hasty and desperate reaction to an emergency solution to the acute shortage of teachers leaves much to be desired in terms of a well thought-out, long-term strategy defined in agreement with all parties concerned. That is why, in 2018, when the first retraining model was introduced, the two unions SNE/CGFP and SEW/OGBL stressed the need for structural solutions to tackle the teacher shortage in the long term. As early as five years ago, SEW/OGBL and SNE/CGFP called for the teaching profession to be made more attractive again, for example by simplifying administration or providing more support and recognition for teachers in their daily work. Not much has happened.

So we shouldn’t be surprised to find ourselves in the same situation 5 years later. The SNE/CGFP and SEW/OGBL find it all the more unacceptable that, just before the end of the first retraining model, a hasty retraining 2 is being introduced instead of responding to the unions’ demands.

SEW/OGBL, SNE/CGFP and BScE student representatives are unanimous in their opposition to this new BFP stream. The quality of teacher training cannot be jeopardized lightly.

Press release of the SNE/CGFP, SEW/OGBL and Uni.lu BScE student representatives
July 12, 2023