Saving on education can be expensive
There is only one thing more expensive in the long run than education - no education." This quote from John F. Kennedy can be substantiated by various social and economic considerations. Switzerland has set itself the goal of ensuring that 95 per cent of young people complete upper secondary education. Good education for all children and young people increases equality of opportunity in a society.
Children who are encouraged to fulfil their inclinations and potential from an early age are happier and more successful at school. They can use their skills and talents later in their careers or studies and apply their knowledge and skills profitably in the entire economic and social environment.
«Educational opportunities are reduced, especially for children and young people from socially and economically disadvantaged backgrounds.»
Franziska Peterhans
A good public school education is therefore also the best protection against unemployment and social dependency that can be given to a pupil. Saving at the expense of children However, what is currently happening in Switzerland runs counter to these goals. All cantons are making massive cuts to education spending. Others want to make parents pay by charging fees and costs for various services. This is against the law, as the law stipulates that primary school attendance is free of charge.
Three concrete examples:
1. 13-year-old Silvan looks forward to his technical design class every Thursday. Working at the workbench with a file and saw motivates him. He makes rapid progress with the construction of his birdhouse. Now the class of 15 pupils is to be merged, as only classes with at least 17 pupils are allowed to be taught in two departments. However, there are only 10 workbenches and 10 sets of tools available in the workroom. It is foreseeable that there will be congestion and waiting times. The children get bored, benefit less, the risk of accidents increases and so does the noise level.
2 The children in Year 5 were traditionally allowed to take part in a summer camp. This was always centred around a specific theme from the natural sciences or culture. Until now, the camp was almost free of charge for you as parents. Now there is no or at least much less money from the municipality and the canton. Your child's teacher informs you that the camp can no longer be organised or that a significantly higher parental contribution will have to be made. However, this is not possible for many parents. With the discontinuation of the camps, the children lose valuable social learning experiences and important experiences, for example in organising such a camp.
3 The Hamidi family arrived in the canton of Thurgau a year ago as asylum seekers. Seven-year-old Aysha went to kindergarten and has been attending first grade since August. She regularly receives additional German lessons (DAZ). However, she is still struggling to follow the lessons. The parents have now been told that they have made too little effort to ensure that their children learn German. They would therefore have to contribute to the costs of the additional German lessons.
Integration of the weak suffers
If classes are merged and class sizes increased, if half-class lessons are reduced, if support services are cut or made subject to a charge, if free subjects are reduced or additional German lessons for foreign language learners are cancelled, there will be less time for individual support and the integration of children with special needs or a migration background. Educational opportunities are reduced, especially for children and young people from socially and economically disadvantaged backgrounds.
According to surveys by the Swiss Teachers' Association (LCH), the reduction in educational resources already agreed between 2013 and 2015 amounts to at least CHF 265 million. Between 2016 and 2018, the cantons are planning to save a further CHF 535 million on education. Together with the measures taken by the municipalities, this amounts to a reduction in education of around one billion francs. The biggest cuts concern the employment conditions of teaching staff.
«Less money also means
less time for the promotion
of each individual.»Franziska Peterhans
Teaching conditions come in second place. The LCH warns against this kind of cutback: "Cost-cutting measures in education are in reality cutbacks at the expense of learners and teachers. They jeopardise the quality of the Swiss education system. The bill will later be paid by the social and justice departments, i.e. society, which simply means a shift in costs. Teachers and, as a result, pupils are also specifically affected by the cuts. Class sizes and compulsory workloads are being increased. Continuing education is being reduced or cancelled altogether. Teachers have to accept pay cuts. These deteriorations contribute to increasing the burden on a professional group that is already under great pressure. And they have a negative impact on recruitment, motivation and ultimately also on the health of teachers.
Necessary or a tactical game?
Are these cantonal cuts in education really necessary? The LCH doubts this is the case, because, according to Daniel Lampart, chief economist of the Swiss Federation of Trade Unions, many cantonal governments systematically assess the financial situation as worse than it actually is. They overstate the national debt and understate the assets. It is difficult to understand why the tax cuts and tax relief for companies and wealthy individuals in recent years should now be offset by cuts in education.
About the author
Franziska Peterhans is the Central Secretary of the Swiss Federation of Teachers (LCH). She lives in Baden and is the mother of three adult children.