Because the city wants to save: teachers in Bern will have to clean their classrooms themselves in the future

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Scraping chewing gum, washing windows, dusting stoves: Thorough cleaning during the summer holidays is a tradition in Swiss schools. In Bern, however, probably not anymore.

According to the newspaper “Der Bund”, the city has announced that in the future there will be less extensive cleaning in city schools and kindergartens. Because: the city wants to save money – and start cleaning the school building, among other things. About 1.4 million Swiss francs have to be saved annually, which corresponds to about 18 full-time jobs.

Teachers only moderately enthusiastic

The city of Bern’s plan provides for less thorough cleaning in the future, the article continues. This requires less full cleanings, but more frequent “visual and fingerprint cleaning”. At the end of 2024, the new cleaning regime must be introduced in phases in municipal schools. The measures have already been implemented in some schools.

The new measures are only moderately well received by the teaching staff. “We fear that in the future we will have to teach in dirty classrooms,” said the paper’s Manuel C. Widmer. He is a teacher himself, chairs the city regional conference of the professional association for education in Bern and politicians for the Green Free Party in the Bern Grand Council.

Widmer says the new cleaning regime is already having an effect on some school buildings. “Some of my colleagues had to sweep the floor themselves in the morning before class,” says the teacher.

Cleaning “not a basic task” for teachers

He fears that in the future this will threaten all teachers in the city of Bern – and that they will have to take on an additional burden. “If you want it to be as clean as it used to be, unfortunately you will be forced to.” He does not want to downplay cleaning, but it is not one of the basic duties of teachers, Widmer continued.

Together with other comrades-in-arms, he sent a protest letter to the city council. Among other things, they doubt whether the planned disassembly can actually save on cleaning.

The city even shows some understanding, “Der Bund” continues. “We can understand that certain cleaning restrictions lead to criticism,” says the agency responsible for all municipal properties Immobilien Stadt Bern (ISB). She does refer to the austerity package that the Bernese voters would have approved in 2022 after the Bernese city parliament. (Okay)

Source:Blick