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The original was posted on /r/switzerland by /u/anonymous3953294 on 2023-08-20 15:32:48+00:00.

I’m a former gymnasium student who graduated a few years ago, and I would like to share my thoughts on the Swiss public school. (I recently had a conversation with other foreign students)

The things I liked :

  • The infrastructure of public school is great in Switzerland, it’s a good environment for learning.

  • The students are united and respect each other. (No discrimination or bullying)

  • Some teachers are very motivated and helpful.

The things I didn’t like :

  • Too many subjects.

  • The examen are a bit unfair. A friend, who was in another class but in the same year, had a teacher who made harder examen than the teacher of our class. We should have the exam per canton.

  • Lack of multiples choice questions in the examen.

  • Some teachers allow us to use a computer in class but some don’t. It’s complicated for the student to have half of the note on the paper and half in OneNote.

  • Some teachers don’t give written support. I had to write everything the teacher had said orally. If you’re sick or didn’t finish to summarize, it’s your problem.

  • Some teachers aren’t organized, they will give a bit of this paper and then another one…

  • The teachers have a lot of freedom. I didn’t learn the same thing as my friend and vice-versa.

  • Some teachers don’t give the answer sheet, you have to listen carefully the answer verbally said by the teacher.

  • Some teachers teach quickly and don’t understand why some students don’t understand the material (which seems obvious to the teacher) and get upset. The student ends up being afraid to ask questions.

  • The curriculum is a bit old : I don’t know why we should learn the name of every country, recognize which types of stone is it, analyze a poem…we could just google it these days. I would have preferred to learn about the conflict between China and the United States or what roles Switzerland must play to keep its wealth.

  • To conclude, it would be better to have the same textbook for every student and have an online support(video, training paper and answer), we could draw inspiration from the international baccalaureate.