The curriculum framework
There is no national curriculum in Switzerland, as devising the curriculum is the legal responsibility of the cantons. However, work is currently going on at both federal and regional levels to harmonise the curriculum and other aspects of schooling during the years of compulsory schooling. The national HarmoS project, developed by the Swiss Conference of Cantonal Directors of Education (CDIP) amongst other things aims to guarantee the quality of education by fixing standards to be attained by pupils in languages, mathematics and science at the end of the 4th, 8th and 11th year of their studies (including two years of kindergarten (ages 4 to 7, depending on the canton). These standards can be defined in terms either of the content to be studied or the competences to be acquired. Experts are currently working on the definition of these standards and their propositions are to be ratified by the cantons via the CDIP.
Regional curricula
Regional educational organisations, such as the CIIP, which brings together the French-speaking cantons, are working on regional curricula (Plan d’Études Romand, PER). The proposed curriculum for the Frenchspeaking cantons structures the curriculum in terms of:
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General education, structured around three axes: the relationship to oneself, the relationship to others, relationships with the world;
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Subject content, organised into five areas: arts, body and movement, languages, mathematics and natural sciences, human and social sciences;
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Transversal competences: collaboration, communication, reflection, critical approaches and creative thinking.
Three cycles
The curriculum is divided into three cycles, each with an indication of the study time to be spent on the five areas that are to be covered. Fifteen percent of the time allotted can be given over to activities not in the curriculum. It should be noted that ICT is included in the languages subject-content group and is present in both general education and transversal competences.
The PER (regional curriculum) is currently the subject of consultations in the French-speaking cantons. The CIIP’s objective is for this regulation to come into effect by the start of the school year 2010-2011. A similar programme is being put in place in German-speaking Switzerland. Consultation is taking place in Germanspeaking
cantons on the Lehrplan (Learning Plan). Its implementation in schools is scheduled for the school year 2011-2012.
