HarmoS Concordat

Logo of the non-partisan committee for the HarmoS Concordat (Swiss German Juhui, i cha in Chindsgi: Juhui, I can go to kindergarten )

No poster of the non-partisan committee «HarmoS No»

The intercantonal agreement on the harmonization of compulsory schooling , also known as the HarmoS Concordat for short , is an intercantonal concordat in Switzerland between the cantons and the Principality of Liechtenstein , which aims to standardize compulsory schooling ( kindergarten , primary school and secondary level 1 ). The Concordat defines basic elements of the elementary school law of the individual cantons and was formulated by the Conference of Cantonal Education Directors (EDK). The cantons have been able to join the concordat since 2007, a process that is usually carried out by the cantonal parliament and is only submitted to the people if the referendum is called and it comes about with the necessary signatures.

content

This concordat aims to further harmonize compulsory schooling in Switzerland. The quality and permeability of the system are to be ensured and obstacles to mobility removed. The HarmoS Concordat is intended to replace the School Concordat from 1970, which regulates the age at school entry as well as the length of compulsory schooling. The new intercantonal agreement on the harmonization of compulsory schooling (HarmoS Concordat) has the following content:

• Extension of the compulsory school time to eleven years with the introduction of a preschool or entry level instead of the previous kindergarten,
• Name of the overriding goals of the compulsory school for all of Switzerland; d. H. a common curriculum to cope with increased mobility and equal opportunities,
• Designation of instruments for quality assurance and quality development at national level in order to align the requirements,
• Determination of instruments of binding educational standards. This means that more learning methods and research skills are learned instead of mainly factual knowledge. This in order to prepare the students for a rapidly changing world,
• Adjustments to national and international portfolios.

The cantons that join the HarmoS Concordat undertake to implement the above-mentioned content, goals and structures for compulsory schools. This also includes the introduction of block times and daily structures and the adaptation of curricula (introduction of language-regional curricula). The content of the draft concordat corresponds to the educational constitution adopted on May 21, 2006.

Accession processes

The parliaments of the cantons decide whether to join the Concordat , whereby the cantonal parliament first decides to join and voters can then decide to join by means of an optional referendum . The neighboring state of Liechtenstein can also join this agreement .

The voting and accession processes started in autumn 2007 and have already been decided in some cantons. The HarmoS Concordat came into force on February 17, 2009 when it was ratified by the canton of Ticino as the tenth canton. From this point in time, it is binding for the cantons that have acceded to the Concordat. The accession of eighteen cantons would have been necessary for nationwide implementation. The cantons have six years to make structural adjustments. However, because the adjustment period expires on the same date for all cantons, cantons that join the Concordat later have less time to make any structural adjustments.

At the end of the implementation period on July 31, 2015, 15 cantons approved Harmos, referendums in seven cantons rejected membership and four cantons (AG, AI, OW, SZ) suspended membership or did not accept membership. The goal of mandatory nationwide implementation was therefore not achieved, but a large number of the proposals were implemented throughout Switzerland.

	Canton	was standing	Date (decision or voting date )	Decision by
	Schaffhausen	Admission decided	October 29, 2007; November 28, 2010	Cantonal Parliament ( Cantonal Council ); cantonal referendum
	Vaud	Admission decided	April 22, 2008	Cantonal Parliament ( Grand Conseil )
	law	Admission decided	April 23, 2008	Cantonal Parliament ( Parlement )
	Glarus	Admission decided	May 4, 2008	Landsgemeinde
	Valais	Admission decided	May 7, 2008	Cantonal Parliament ( Grand Council )
	Neuchâtel	Admission decided	June 25, 2008	Cantonal Parliament ( Grand Conseil )
	Lucerne	Refused to join	September 28, 2008	cantonal referendum
	Grisons	Refused to join	November 30, 2008	cantonal referendum
	Thurgau	Refused to join	November 30, 2008	cantonal referendum
	St. Gallen	Admission decided	November 30, 2008	cantonal referendum
	Zurich	Admission decided	November 30, 2008	cantonal referendum
	Geneva	Admission decided	December 18, 2008	Cantonal Parliament ( Grand Conseil )
	Nidwalden	Refused to join	February 8, 2009	cantonal referendum
	Ticino	Admission decided	February 17, 2009	Cantonal Parliament
	Bern	Admission decided	September 27, 2009	cantonal referendum
	Uri	Refused to join	September 27, 2009	cantonal referendum
	train	Refused to join	September 27, 2009	cantonal referendum
	Freiburg	Admission decided	March 7, 2010	cantonal referendum
	Basel city	Admission decided	May 5, 2010	Cantonal Parliament ( Grand Council )
	Appenzell Ausserrhoden	Refused to join	June 13, 2010	cantonal referendum
	Solothurn	Admission decided	September 26, 2010	cantonal referendum
	Basel-Country	Admission decided	September 26, 2010	cantonal referendum
	Obwalden	Accession procedure suspended	February 17, 2009	Cantonal government

Historical development

The introduction of new public tasks in the Swiss education system and their division between the Confederation and the cantons has repeatedly been the subject of political disputes, especially since the state was founded in 1848:

• The first federal school law in Switzerland originated in the Helvetic Republic (1798–1803): Schools became the task of the state (cantons), teacher training was improved and education councils were set up.
• In the 19th century there were efforts to standardize and resistance to centralization.
• In the federal constitution of 1848, federal school sovereignty was limited to the university, Article 22: The federal government is authorized to establish a university and a polytechnic school . Primary school instruction was entirely in the hands of the municipalities and cantons or private bodies.
• The introduction of a school article (Art. 27) in the Federal Constitution of 1874 made school compulsory
• In 1882 a federal school law with a federal school secretary (school governor ) was rejected by the people and the cantons .
• The school concordat of 1970 led to the harmonization of structures, promotion of the educational system, school entry age at the end of 6 years of age or earlier, school duration 9 years / 38 weeks, training period up to Matura 12–13 years and the school year start in late summer.
• In the 1973 referendum, an educational article in the federal constitution was rejected and a research article was accepted.
• In 1985, a coordinated start of the school year was enshrined in the federal constitution.
• The parliamentary initiative submitted by National Councilor Hans Zbinden (SP) in 1989 for an educational framework article in the federal constitution was rejected by the National Council and Council of States in 1992.
• The second parliamentary initiative submitted by National Councilor Hans Zbinden (SP) in 1997 for an educational framework article in the federal constitution , which grants the federal government comprehensive legislative competence in the entire education system, was adopted in a referendum in 2006.

Advocates

The fact that every canton has its own curricula and school systems, some of which differ greatly, is often a major burden for families who move from one canton to another. That is why it makes sense to make certain general guidelines, such as regional language curricula or compulsory schooling of the same length. These similarities would also increase equality of opportunity among the cantons. So far, the percentages of high school students have differed greatly within Switzerland.

So far, there is still a strong emphasis on specialist content that can be learned by heart at short notice for an exam. In a world in which the Internet provides a lot of factual knowledge, the demands on a competent person in professional life changed. In order to adequately prepare the pupils, skills such as “researching on the Internet”, “communicating results” or “solving problems” would be practiced with HarmoS already in school. These skills are defined in so-called educational standards and are often referred to as “competencies”. Thus one speaks of a competence-oriented teaching.

criticism

The main points of criticism are the early compulsory school enrollment, the transformation of the kindergarten, the increasing nationalization of education at the expense of the parents' legal rights, the shift of school sovereignty from the cantons to non-democratically elected bodies (EDK) combined with the de facto abolition of democratic ones Called a say in educational matters.

literature

• EDK Swiss Conference of Cantonal Education Directors, Intercantonal Agreement on the Harmonization of Compulsory Schooling - HarmoS Concordat - Consultation Report (February 16, 2006 - November 30, 2006). Ediprim AG, Biel, 2006
• A. Pelizzari: The economization of the political: new public management and the neoliberal attack on public services . Constance 2001, ISBN 3-89669-998-9 .

Web links

• EDK website
• Text of the Concordat (PDF; 114 kB)
• Harmo's Concordat remains controversial . Tagesanzeiger.ch/
• HarmoS - Something is coming . (PDF) phzh.ch

Individual evidence

1. ↑ EDK: Harmos balance sheet 2015
2. ↑ edudoc.ch (PDF) Status of cantonal accession procedures
3. ^ Concordat HarmoS on the homepage of the canton Obwalden , accessed on October 22, 2011
4. ^ Draft of the WBK-N, April 22, 2004 (PDF) bbw.admin.ch