ESL situation in Switzerland
Thursday 23 July 2015, by ,
Switzerland does not provide an official definition of ESLers, although the rate reported by Eurostat is low. The issue of ESL is typically embedded in the context of national programmes and initiatives tackling poverty, risk groups, employability etc. This approach importantly contributes to success in preventing and tackling ESL. Multi-agency partnerships at the local/institutional level are well established.
Since Switzerland is not an EU member state it officially does not follow the Europe 2020 targets nor has it set any national quantitative target in this area. However, in one national education document the objective is stated as 95% of the population aged below 25 years being an upper secondary graduate (EDI/EVD/EDK, 2011). According to Eurostat data, in 2016 Switzerland’s ESL rate was 4.8%. It has been decreasing in the last 7 years and has always been below the Europe 2020 target ESL rate of 10%. However, large discrepancies between the ESL rate among foreign-born and native-born remain. Even though Switzerland does not have a comprehensive strategy to tackle ESL, the Swiss Conference of Cantonal Ministers of Education (EDK) plays a leading role in addressing ESL. Typically, ESL is not addressed as a separate or specific issue, but given attention in the context of tackling poverty, supporting students from risk groups, providing attractive VET, providing quality career education and guidance, providing time out of school for students, giving guidelines on how to support the personal, emotional and social development of students (e.g. a national programme to tackle poverty, temporary and alternative optional courses, the Inter-institutional Cooperation programme, Time-out, VET Case Management etc.). Moreover, Switzerland features strong multi-sectoral involvement and cooperation. Multi-agency partnerships at thelocal and/or institutional level are well established (not dealing specifically with ESL; including teachers, school heads, guidance specialists, psychologists, social workers etc.). In this context, the value of educational alliances is recognised. Vocational education and training holds a very high status in Switzerland so most young people enrol in it, also helping to deliver high rates of overall completion. Yet this remains a challenge in the context of large social inequalities in programme participation and access to university and the professions.
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