A survey published this week by the organisation Pro Familia shows that 52% of families across Switzerland are struggling to make ends meet. For many families in Switzerland, money is tight or insufficient to cover all living expenses. The percentage finding themselves in this position rose from 47% to 52%. The rising cost of health […]
ETH Zurich ranked best university in continental Europe
In a global university ranking done by Times Higher Education ETH Zurich was ranked 15th, the highest ranked university in continental Europe. The next continental European university on the list was the University of Munich (32nd). EPFL in Lausanne, Switzerland’s other Federal university was ranked 40th in a global ranking of more than 1,600 universities […]
Swiss PISA scores continue to decline in 2018
On 3 December 2019, the OECD published the 2018 PISA scores for 79 countries. In Switzerland, around 6,000 school pupils born in 2002 from more than 200 school across Switzerland took the PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) test. PISA, run every three years, assesses the extent to which 15-year-old students, near the end of […]
Swiss language row continues
A recent poll shows a majority of Switzerland’s politicians want cantons to be required to teach a second Swiss language at primary school, reported swissinfo. Two thirds of the 246 politicians surveyed said national cohesion could be threatened. The canton’s of Thurgau and Nidwalden recently changed the rules to delay French until secondary school and […]
Special educational needs in Switzerland? Help is at hand across the Geneva region
For parents who have just discovered their child has learning differences or special educational needs, the key first step to coping successfully with the situation is to gather information. Knowledge empowers parents and prevents frustration. As soon as a problem is suspected, parents should arrange an assessment with a doctor, specialist or psychologist. The next […]
Back to school: Are your children excited or dreading it?
Summer is almost over and heading back to school is – for some – an exciting period to catch up with friends or get back into a familiar routine. For others, it will be a time of anxiety because they know that the bullying will start again. Shocking as it may sound, between 10% and […]
Are schools ready for the future?
As the world of business, science and technology is changing around us, school education must follow suit. But do our schools prepare the citizens of tomorrow’s world adequately? The question is all the more pertinent now that China is taking over as a leading economy with a completely different take on education from most Western […]
Let’s talk about sex
Sex education continues to be a delicate, if not difficult, issue in schools. At the same time, it is one that regularly appears on the political scene as it speaks to the public’s emotional, social, moral and religious mind-set. This year, it is Switzerland’s turn. Some of the conservative parties are seeking to make it […]
American universities: conquering the SATs
With few exceptions, Scholastic Assessment Tests (SATs) are required by all students, regardless of nationality, for entry into any university in the United States. Here are some thoughts on how to prepare. Even if you have got the International Baccalaureate, Swiss Maturité, or British A-Levels, you need to take the SATs in order to apply […]
How does the IB compare to other diplomas?
GENEVA Sabine Hutcheson explores the requirements for the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma, which is growing in popularity among international and Anglophone schools in Switzerland. The appeal of the IB Diploma is primarily its international approach. No particular culture is favoured and students are educated to become world citizens, preparing them for careers wherever they choose. […]
