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Before reaching school age, most children go to kindergarden where focus is mainly on developing social skills. Volksschule (elementary school) is mandatory for all Swiss children. They can either attend public school or go to a private school. Elementary school starts at the age of seven and lasts at least eight, but usually nine years. Some schools offer an additional year for kids who haven't either yet decided what to do after school, haven't found a job to start an apprenticeship or haven't yet reached the age to start what they would like to do. The Volksschule is divided into Primarschule and Oberstufenschule: In Zürich, Primarschule lasts six years. Usually, the children have only one teacher who teaches all subjects. Oberstufenschule lasts three years. Usually, there are at least two teachers for each class, one teaches some, the second the other subjects. There may be other teachers for special subjects like gym, needlework, cooking etc. Sekundarschule is the highest level. Some apprenticeships require this level of education. It is particularly required if a student wants to attend a gymnasium (secondary school) afterwards. Sekundarschule includes math, geometry, native language (German in case of Zürich), first foreign language (French in Zürich), geography, history and more. In addition, students may attend other subjects like a second foreign language, usually English or Italian.There are eleven universities in Switzerland, nine of them are run by a canton, two are run by the confederation. In general, the universities run by the cantons provide non-technical subjects, whereas the universities run by the confederation provide technical subjects. The later are therefore called "Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology". To attend university, a student must have attended Gymnasium and own a graduation diploma. The study at an university usually lasts four and a half years. |
School building in Geneva | 
School girls in Geneva | 
Kindergarden in Geneva |
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