“Media and computer sciences” will become a subject at secondary school in Basel-Stadt

From the 2024/2025 school year, ‘Media and Computer Science’ will become an independent school subject at secondary level in the canton of Basel-Stadt. The cabinet has approved corresponding adjustments to the school career scheme, it announced on Wednesday.

The field of media and computer science is currently taught in various subjects at secondary school. In view of increasing digitalization, the Ministry of Education bundles this material in its own subject. Media and computer science should become compulsory subjects in the first two years of secondary education, the statement said.

In the third year it is offered as an elective at all locations. Since this school year, ‘Media and IT’ has been a separate subject in the 5th and 6th grades at primary school.

More mathematics and the number of work lessons remain unchanged

In addition to the introduction of this subject, there are other changes to the class schedule at secondary school. Mathematics should be reinforced in the first school year with an extra weekly lesson.

This is intended to encourage students to learn mathematics as early as possible, as further stated. However, in the third school year there are five lessons instead of six.

The number of technical and textile design lessons at secondary level remains unchanged. What is new, however, is that they are no longer separate subjects, but have been combined into the subject ‘Textile and Technical Design’ (TTG). From the perspective of teachers and schools, reducing the number of hours of craft subjects makes no sense, the consultation showed.

The timetable changes were discussed last spring. The Education Council decided on the changes in December 2023. With the cabinet decision, these will come into effect in the 2024/2025 school year.

(dsc/sda)