Swiss student protest planned education cuts

Start of student rallies in Switzerland Keystone-SDA

A day of student demonstrations got under way in Switzerland on Wednesday, culminating in a large rally in Bern.

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In Lausanne, around 150 people gathered on the university (UNIL) campus at midday.

The Swiss Students’ Union (UNES) organised the demonstration in the heart of the Swiss capital to oppose the planned cuts to education. At the same time, a petition with 35,000 signatures was to be submitted to the Federal Chancellery.

Various actions, supported by the unions and involving students and researchers, were also planned in Zurich, Basel, Lucerne, Lausanne, Geneva and Neuchâtel.

Around 150 people gathered in Lausanne and demonstrated on the university campus at around midday to voice their opposition to the budget cuts being made both by the federal government and the State of Vaud. The 2026 budget presented a week ago by the cantonal government envisages savings of around CHF20 million for the university of Lausanne.

The cuts announced represent a reduction of around 7% in the university’s budget. According to the FAE, this will result in “a weakening of research, a deterioration in the quality of teaching and a decline in UNIL’s reputation in Switzerland and beyond”.

The FAE is calling on the Grand Council to reject the cuts proposed by the Senate in order to “guarantee funding that is equal to the challenges, for the future of UNIL and the community”.

Zurich demo

Students and researchers also gathered in Zurich to demonstrate at midday in the streets of the city centre in response to a call from the SSP union and student associations. Nearly 700 people took to the streets of Zurich, the union told Keystone-ATS.

According to the SSP, cuts in research and education threaten Switzerland as a scientific centre. They risk leading to a doubling of student fees, which would restrict access to higher education to those who are already privileged.

Translated from French by DeepL/mga

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