There are a million questions that come up during an international move, and one of the most pressing for families is: Where do I send my kids to school? This is no simple question. Finding and vetting schools and arranging enrollment can be a challenge, and the choice of a school can shape a family’s social life and cultural adjustment.
Basel Debates Reduced Voting Age; Swiss Teachers Overworked; Fatal Accident At Construction Site
News For 21 May 2019
Last Wednesday, Green Party politician Jo Vergeat filed a motion in the Basel Stadt parliament that aims to reduce the cantonal voting age to 16 years old. The Green Alliance and SP parties want 16-year-olds to have the right to vote at the cantonal level in the future. Further discussion is needed, however, to debate whether 16-year-olds should also be able to serve as representatives in parliament. Older politicians in particular are skeptical about a possible change to the voting age. LDP Councilor Jeremy Stephenson, for example, has argued that "young people are easily influenced and politically disinterested". Vergeat, who originally submitted the motion, thinks differently: she says that "the events of recent months clearly show that there is worldwide political interest and also the will to participate politically in the youth." While many people don't think that the motion will pass, it will be interesting to see how far the debate goes in the cantonal government.
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According to the latest poll conducted by the Swiss Teachers Association, a national organization focused on Swiss education based in Luzern, Swiss teachers work too much overtime, particularly in the regions of German speaking Switzerland. The poll found that these teachers work nearly 13% overtime hours, compared to just over 2% in the French-speaking part of the country. Furthermore, in the German-speaking region, the annual average working time for a full-time teacher is 2,164 hours for a job that on paper represents 1,916 hours. To avoid overwork, about one in five teachers "voluntarily" reduces their workload by working part time. Unfortunately, part time work is not a complete solution. In order to improve their working conditions, teachers' associations are calling for an end to unpaid overtime, a reduction in the number of mandatory courses, more resources for classroom supervision, and more time for discussions with parents. Until their demands are met, teachers will continue to fight for better treatment for themselves and for their students.
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A week ago Monday at 1 o'clock in the afternoon, tragedy struck at the construction site near the Swiss-German border. A 51 year old worker fell into an open pit and was subsequently buried alive by the concrete. According to the prosecutor from the Basel Kriminalpolizei, the man was standing on the edge while concrete was being poured and fell when part of the soil gave way. Construction resumed the same afternoon. The exact cause of the accident is still under investigation. Because of the accident, traffic around the foundation Beyeler and the German border slowed considerably and public transport was also affected.