To guarantee educational quality: teachers launch cantonal initiatives

class=”sc-29f61514-0 dXbCZE”>

The timing was well chosen: on National Future Day, the umbrella organization for teachers in Switzerland (LCH) presented the action plan for education quality. Because for the LCH it is clear: well-educated students are the professionals of tomorrow. The Swiss success model is based on this.

LCH central president Dagmar Rösler painted a bleak picture: the lack of staff in schools will not change soon. “The number of students is expected to grow by eight to eleven percent in 2030,” Rösler told the media in Bern on Thursday. In absolute figures, this means that around 86,000 more students will attend compulsory education in 2031 than in 2021. Rösler bases this on figures from the Federal Bureau of Statistics (BFS).

Give the cantons steam

With the Education Quality Action Plan, the LCH and initially nine German-speaking Swiss cantonal associations want to start a campaign in favor of teaching staff – and give the cantons the momentum to finally take action. They are encouraged in this by a study by the Sotomo Institute, which shows that the population appreciates education.

Without measures there is a risk of a downward spiral, says Rösler. The teaching profession is becoming less attractive and the staff shortage is becoming even more acute. And who else than the school is training tomorrow’s professionals today, asks Stefan Wittwer, director of education in Bern. Teachers’ associations, educational institutions and schools have been pointing out the sometimes difficult situations on site for some time now.

Now teachers have had enough of the annual emergency drills to combat the teacher shortage. Because more and more cantons are currently filling staff shortages by hiring people without a diploma. The criticism is that this is an emergency solution that should not become a permanent situation.

Signature collections are scheduled to start in early 2024

Because education is a cantonal matter, the action plan starts there. Teachers’ associations are launching initiatives in the cantons of Aargau, Bern and Zug. In Graubünden, a petition has been launched against the government’s dismantling plans.

The aim is to ensure that high quality education is enshrined in the constitution across the board. According to the LCH, preparatory work is underway in the cantons involved. Collecting signatures should start no later than January next year. (oko)

Source:Blick