Blacklist for teachers has gaps

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The requirement is clear: a teacher who has committed a sexual offense, is mentally ill or has an addiction problem does not belong in the class. The cantons should report the relevant cases to the Conference of Cantonal Ministers of Education (EDK). This maintains a “list of teachers without a teaching qualification”, so that, for example, advancing people cannot move on to another canton to teach there.

However, not all cantons adhere to the requirement. Out of more than 125,000 Swiss teachers, only 92 are currently blacklisted, as reported by the “Tagesanzeiger”. The newspaper also refers to several cases that should have been on the list, but were not reported by the cantons.

Sex with underage ex-student

A specific case involves an art teacher who had sex with a 15-year-old former student. Although it was by mutual consent, the man was convicted last year by the court of Bremgarten AG for sexual acts with a child. The verdict not only includes a suspended prison sentence, but also a lifelong ban on working with minors.

However, the teacher was not blacklisted. Due to the activity ban imposed, the risk that the convicted person could teach again is “extremely low”, explains the education department of Aargau to the “Tagesanzeiger” about waiving registration. In addition, the authority refers to the “particulars of the specific case”.

Only twelve cantons have reported cases

A report according to the EDK guidelines would be binding. But other cantons are also generous in their dealings. No teacher is registered from the cantons of Vaud or Ticino – even though such cases have become public in recent years. Smaller cantons, on the other hand, point out that they have no such cases.

Only twelve cantons have reported cases at all. For example, in Zurich, 24 people are blacklisted. “In just over half of the cases, the license to teach was revoked because of the consumption of illegal pornography, the majority of the rest because of sexual harassment,” the newspaper quotes primary school principal Myriam Ziegler as saying. So it is almost never about addictions or psychological problems. (Russian)

Source:Blick