Project Alpha: Between "segregation" and "growing together"

What is the Alpha project?

Today, children learn reading, writing and arithmetic using the German language. In the future, parents will be able to decide whether their children are do so in German or French. In September 2022, "Alpha – zesumme wuessen" (growing together) was launched as a pilot project in four primary schools in the country. Following an initial scientific evaluation, Education Minister Claude Meisch (DP) announced in July 2025 that the project would be generalised for the 2026/27 school year. The coalition agreement had already foreshadowed this step and his decision came as no surprise to anyone. In the same month, the government initiated the consultation procedure for the drafts of a law and a grand-ducal decree.

In the bill, Meisch's ministry justifies the generalisation of parallel literacy as follows: "For more than five decades, numerous national and international studies (…) have confirmed that the Luxembourg school system, although efficient on average, systematically reproduces social, linguistic and migration-related inequalities." Learning the basics of reading and writing is an "essential prerequisite for success at school". "In Luxembourg, however, many children are confronted with learning in a literacy language that is far removed from their own language repertoire right from the start of their schooling, which represents a structural obstacle to their academic development."

Does this mean that bilingual literacy will start in the coming school year?

This point has caused misunderstandings. Yes, the bill envisages 2026/27 as the introductory year, but initially in Cycle 1.2. In other words, it is only before Easter 2027 that parents will make the decision on the literacy language that will apply for the following school year, based on a recommendation from the class teacher.