The Swiss People's education is unique in its kind. It takes many forms, adapted to the specific needs of the people, the landscape and local history. Direct democracy has influenced the design of the school system. No distant authority could decide on the desk, as the future generation has to learn. Yet since about 20 years to surreptitiously destructive influence exerted on the schools. Not least, democratic institutions are gradually bypassed. In the article below is traced the development of the school, highlighted its strengths and problems are identified.
rl. First a note to school in a democratic community: Because is sovereign in a democracy of citizens at the same time, it must be formed large. To the pedagogical goal of general and peripheral formation of "head, heart and hand" (Pestalozzi), it is also the future role of the student as citizens of a county, a canton and the federal government to be considered. Not a one-sided orientation of education to the wishes of the globalizing economy or to an assumed social change are important, but a sound general education, each is repaired, commune of the community on all matters referred to in Bonum decide.
This formation of "head, heart and hand," is aimed at ensuring that everyone is able to deepen the current political issues to deal in order to decide better. Regardless of his education everyone is encouraged to have a say in the accompanying facts! In other developed everyone who is invited to a say, the desire to understand the decisions ahead. Direct democracy educates to maturity!
be the basis of various historical writings hard to trace the development of the Swiss People's education in a direct democracy. The reader is impressed by the commitment, diligence and foresight, has wrestled with for a good and just school. In the anniversary volume ", the Zurich Public Schools 1832-1932" by 1933, every single step towards developing a functioning school system, both the educational tasks has grown, as well as the claims of direct democracy, described in detail. It means, for example: "As will always be also recognized in 1830 that a democracy of ignorant and Unpolished a lost cause from the outset was. As one of their \u0026lt;wichtigsten Wünsche> the men of one type of Schulwesens> \u0026lt;durchgreifende improvement had demanded. "(P. 8) From the perspective of secondary school teachers in the commemorative" 125 Years Thurgauerische secondary teacher conference. 1857-1982 "(1984) the search for a good teaching described, for example:
The conference" decided in 1860 to make \u0026lt;communications experience on the curriculum as a permanent agenda item of their meetings. That was six years managed so that after a speech about a particular school subject, the discussion began and kept our Trial Lessons and discussed.> "(p. 13)
The teacher training college in 1982 Küsnacht ZH was finally issued a jubilee book, the cover in the motto of her seminar flag from the late 19 Century maps, "public education is the People's Liberation."
has Unlike the European countries surrounding the school system in Switzerland, experienced a very close bond to the municipality and the canton, which is expressed in just such a jubilee volumes. A sign of the roots in direct democracy.
As in other European countries, was recognized as a result of humanism and the Enlightenment, the value of education. Newly joined by the Enlightenment, the idea that everyone is entitled to education. Thus in the first half of the 19th Century in Switzerland, Austria and Germany, a primary school movement, which was supported by many dedicated educator Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi, Philipp Albert Stapfer, Friedrich Froebel, Thomas Scherr, Adolph Diesterweg, Karl-Friedrich-Wilhelm hiking and much more to you it was a big concern to implement a broad public education for all. Their commitment was closely connected with the democratic movement. Many stood in opposition to the ruling government in their country and suffered fluctuating fortunes. The princes of Europe were indeed interested in a good education for their subjects - not least to the public welfare and thus increase tax revenue - not, however, to have educated citizens in the country. While it has been suppressed in Germany after 1848, the Democratic People's Education movement, took place in Switzerland a more diverse structure.
In the communities were formed committees that would oversee the schools. As democratically elected school boards were that were composed of citizens of the community. Each community supervision of that authority to teaching, teachers and school buildings. This is also the concern of the community were repealed in the school. Until recently, the parents say in as citizens of a community on the permanent position of a teacher. The governmental and technical supervision was carried out by elected people, depending on the canton in part with experienced teachers (depending on the canton as "Inspector" or "district school nurse"). Overall, the organization was created democratically, slim and popular. Subsidiary issues were negotiated locally.
The cantons set up teacher training and provided for a regular school system. It also bodies (such as an "Education Committee") were selected, which together represented all strata of the population and professionals. No minister expressed via the adoption by the policies of his lobby group.
The teachers organized themselves into "conventions" or met to larger "chapters" or "synods" to their part to make suggestions for improving the school system or establish them. The many lovingly compiled teaching resources are one of the impressive evidence of this commitment.
organized in many cantons, the teachers the school system itself, the teachers selected from the ranks for a limited time, a "head of a house" or "principal", who took over the coordination of the teaching profession. Lesson plans, materials management, most of the administrative burden, but also events beyond school, were self-organized. An independent and thereby more cost-effective Model.
created in the cantons of different education structures, according to the needs and conditions. Today we see the school in Ticino different from the school in the Lake Geneva or in Schaffhausen. Under the federal form of agreements among the cantons and a few federal requirements (eg compulsory education, free education of school or lesson number of the physical education).
Already at the beginning there were attempts to get the federal government to increasingly impact on the educational institutions of the cantons. install with the idea of a school secretary for education ("school Vogt"), the Federal Council in 1882 but failed significantly. The theme was for the first time for long Time from the table.
will try again today at various levels, from the people by centralizing the education system. Recall, for example, the activities of the non-directly elected Board Director (Director of Education Conference EDK) to inter-cantonal level (Harmos, curriculum, etc. 21). The widespread introduction of school management, which are "out" in close contact by the cantonal education authorities, represents a break in the history of the elementary school dar. All these transformations are not Swiss achievements, but come in a roundabout way from the house Bertelsmann1 or the via OECD2 country . They are aligned and power-oriented economist.
Calls Today the reinforcing resentment among parents, teachers, educational researchers but also by a halt to the "reforms" one, not least because most take place "reforms" at the expense of democratic involvement and school quality. It does not, to reflect on the foundations of our school to stop the senseless school reform and increased again to tie at the positives.
1 The amazing talk of "self", "semi-autonomous" or "autonomous" schools have no educational background, but one of power and economic policy. The school as dirigierbare and profitable unit. A significant role in the introduction this concept played the Bertelsmann Foundation in 1995 with broad and free distribution of Scripture: "The future of education. School of the Future, "in which they, the school as a" house of learning "promoted. (Details please, please, how the European scene has come together in the past 15 years, this private sector approach). Not least, the neoliberal ideology of Milton Friedman's godfather was here (in the real economy, this theory with the banking crisis is major flops). After
Ernst Busch was introduced as education director of Zurich "education reform" on a large scale
, he figured after he left as director of
Bertelsmann Foundation.
2, not democratically legitimated body, the OECD, of which Switzerland is a member, now taken over tasks that go far beyond economic issues. Across Europe it is indirectly guidelines for school policy in each country. Who is the OECD, by what right, tasks issued, remains unclear. Sun Country reports are created, we analyze some phenomena or developed educational controversial tests such as PISA. The results are set as goals for that education. Must flow from the developed OECD committees content to the cantonal and inter-cantonal curricula. Many cantonal education authorities felt the flood of increasingly "international" Requirements overwhelmed and got themselves "experts" in their departments. It happened often that a representative from Bertelsmann or the OECD landed in educational administration.
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