[ad_1]
Alarmed by the poor results of the national review of pupils’ basic skills, the Basel government has produced a package of measures to improve the quality of education in primary schools. Investments of around 62 million francs are planned for the years 2022 to 2028.
At an online press conference on Wednesday, Baselbieter education director Monica Gschwind spoke of a “shockingly bad outcome” for elementary school students. In the national examination of basic competences in the subjects of mathematics and French, they would have revealed below-average competencies and only average competencies in German.
It was quickly clear to them that the canton had to react sustainably, Gschwind continued. A package of measures has been developed with the participation of schools, groups of district administrators and the association of municipalities based in Basel. This is aimed in particular at strengthening the core subjects of German and mathematics, expanding the department of informatics and media and intensifying the continuing training of teachers.
This implies not inconsiderable costs for the canton and the municipalities: investments of 50 million francs will be made for the canton for the years 2022 to 2028, and for the municipalities 12 million francs. This is the largest investment in education in recent years, Geschwind said. But she is convinced that every franc will be worth it.
Additional German Lesson
Specifically, an additional German lesson is planned for the last year of secondary level I with a focus on promoting reading at all grade levels. Additionally, the Computer Science and Media course will be upgraded to a separate lesson at the elementary and secondary levels.
At the secondary level, career guidance will also be strengthened. And finally, schools in grades 4-5 and lower secondary A and E performance levels should be able to react flexibly to the school’s own needs with “SOS lessons”. Performance has been shown to vary greatly from school to school or class to class, said the head of the Basel primary school authority, Beat Lüthy.
The subject of mathematics has already been extended to secondary level, continues Lüthy. With the separation of the computer and media department from the math lessons, the subject will be expanded. And when it comes to French, success is expected with the gliding freedom of teaching materials that have already been adopted.
For the program to start in 2022, it must be done quickly: in the first quarter of 2021, the corresponding presentation must be sent to the district administrator. This with the hope that it will be approved in June. At the same time, communities should be encouraged to come together. And in November, the board of education should adjust the calendar.
