Outcry as Swiss-German schools swap French lessons for English

Primary schools in German-speaking Switzerland are increasingly dropping French lessons in favour of English classes, a new report has claimed, prompting fears that such a move threatens national cohesion. 

Schools in German-speaking Switzerland slow to teach French

Since 2004, primary schools in Switzerland have been required to instruct pupils in at least two foreign languages, including one of the country’s national languages. Traditionally, it has been the norm in the school system for schools in German-speaking Switzerland to teach French, and schools in French-speaking Switzerland to teach German. 

Now, however, according to a new report in Le Tribune de Genève, German-speaking Swiss cantons are increasingly scrapping French lessons in primary schools in favour of teaching English.

According to the report, in French-speaking Switzerland, German is the first language taught in schools, whereas in German-speaking Switzerland, the majority of schools teach English first, and then French. Only the bilingual cantons, and the cantons that neighbour French-speaking Switzerland, teach French first. 

Some schools want to push French lessons back to secondary level

But it goes further than this: of the 19 German-speaking cantons, two (Appenzell Innerrhoden and Uri) have already approved legislation to push back the start of French instruction to the secondary school level. In a further 12 cantons, proposals are pending to drop French lessons in primary schools. 

A survey of 900 residents of the cantons of Basel-Stadt and Basel-Landschaft recently found that two-thirds of teachers are opposed to maintaining two foreign languages in primary schools. If only one were to be retained, more than 53 percent would prefer it to be English, compared to 34,5 percent for French, on the basis that English “is more accessible and motivates students more to speak it”. 

Move “threatens national cohesion”, critics say

The news has sparked concern among some commentators that abandoning French for English could threaten Swiss national cohesion. “This situation is one of the effects of globalisation, which leads to a loss of identity,” Christophe Darbellay, president of the Conference of Cantonal Directors of Public Education, told the newspaper. 

Frédéric Borloz, head of Vaud’s Department of Education and Vocational Training, said that “learning another national language is a necessity in Switzerland in the name of national cohesion.” He added: “Just because it's difficult doesn't mean we should back down. It is the responsibility of our cantons to find solutions to improve the teaching of German in French-speaking Switzerland, and French in German-speaking Switzerland.”