Swiss government party wants comprehensive education reform

The Swiss Radical Party on Tuesday called for a comprehensive education reform and demanded the introduction of day schools, Internet connections for all classrooms and giving parents freedom of choice for schools.

The Swiss Radical Party on Tuesday called for a comprehensive education reform and demanded the introduction of day schools, Internet connections for all classrooms and giving parents freedom of choice for schools.

The centre-right Radical Party, which is one of four parties represented in the cabinet, made its proposals during a news conference in the capital Berne, in the run-up to parliamentary elections in October.

The main thrust of the proposals, according to the party, is to bring schools and private industry closer together and to allow both parents to work, should they choose to do so.

In many Swiss families, mothers stay at home because they either want to leave work to have a child – or because there are not enough day care centres and virtually no day schools that would allow a parent to work part time or full time when the child attends school.

The Radical Party therefore proposes:

— The introduction of day schools. These should be funded by both the federal and cantonal (state) authorities. Those private, semi-private and state schools should be made attractive through tax breaks for parents.

— Children should start school at age five and English should be taught in the primary grades. Under the current system, kids on average start school at the age of seven and first learn one of the national languages (i.e. either French or German). English is normally not taught before seventh grade.

— All schools should be linked up to the Internet.

— Cantonal education authorities – which decide individually on what policies are implemented – should step up cooperation and harmonise curriculum content and education targets.

— Daycare costs should be tax deductible.

— Companies and enterprises which train apprentices should be given tax breaks.

The Swiss Teachers Association welcomed the proposal for day schools but criticised the pro-business thrust of the reform plans.

An association spokesman warned against too much influence by businesses on education, saying students should be given the freedom to develop their own critical stance toward society.

The spokesman rejected the idea that Swiss schools were anti-business and were not preparing students enough for their later careers in private industry.

The association also criticised the party for failing to come up with a viable plan on how to finance the reforms.

The educational body warned against introducing a two-tier system, where “rich parents send their children to private schools and others are left with deteriorating state schools.”


From staff and wire reports.