The Education System In Switzerland

The Education System In Switzerland

Grading

International scale Swiss scale German explanation French explanation Italian explanation

A

(excellent) 6

Hervorragend

Excellent

Eccellente

B

(very good, with few errors) 5.5

Sehr gut

Très bien

Molto bene

C

(good, with some errors) 5

Gut

Bien

Bene

D

(satisfactory, with many errors) 4.5

Befriedigend

Satisfaisant

Sufficiente

E

(sufficient. This is the minimum passing grade) 4

Ausreichend

Passable

Bastante

Source: Swiss ENIC, Recognition Information Centre

Reccomendations

History and Background Information

1291- The 3 Cantons Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden unite against the surrounding aggressors. A citizen of each Canton sweared allegiance on August, 1st 1291 and becomes its own federation.

1460- Foundation of the university of Basel which later became the first university of Switzerland.

1500- Beginning of a new era called "Renaissance", people became interested in science and developing more schools.

1648- Declaration of Independence - Switzerland becomes an independent Nation.

1848- Federal constitution of 1848 stipulates that the cantons have to provide 9 years of free schooling for every child.

1882-The first school for pupils with learning difficulties opened in La Chaux-de-Fonds in 1882.

Geography

Education System and Structure

Fun Facts

1. The average salary of a teacher in Switzerland in 2010 was $112000 per year.

2. In Switzerland, it is illegal to deny that the holocaust happened.

3.There is a political party in Switzerland, called the “Anti Powerpoint Party”. It works towards decreasing the use of Powerpoint in professional presentations.

4.For the past 190 years, Switzerland has been a neutral country during wartimes.

5. Animals are also represented by lawyers in Switzerland’s courts. Once, a fisherman was prosecuted for taking too long to catch a Pike.

Switzerland is bordered to the west by France, to the north by Germany, to the east by Austria and Liechtenstein, and to the south by Italy. It extends about 135 miles (220 km) from north to south and 220 miles (350 km) at its widest extent from west to east. Switzerland’s landscape is among the world’s most unusual, and it has long had to contend with a variety of environmental problems that threaten its integrity. Economic development and high population density have caused severe environmental stress, resulting in pollution and debates over the use of natural resources.

Cantons

Switzerland is divided into 26 different areas which is called a canton. A canton is the equivalent of a state in the United States.

In Switzerland, the individual municipalities and cantons are very free. Usually, there is a Swiss law (at the level of the whole confederation). Very often this states general things and says that the cantons must follow this rule. The cantons then make detailed rules, each in the way it sees fit. Sometimes this leads to strange situations, for example, there are 26 different schooling systems.