Secondary level I&II
Chinese at Swiss secondary schools
Chinese is taught as an optional subject at around forty public secondary schools in Switzerland. The subject was introduced at the Cantonal School in Olten in the 1970s, at the Gymnase du Bugnon in Lausanne from the end of the 1980s and at the Gymnasium Leonhard in Basel from the beginning of the 1990s. Since then, more and more schools have included Chinese in their optional subjects. Depending on the school, Chinese is offered with two to three weekly lessons for up to three years. As a free subject, it is not eligible for promotion.
Many high schools also maintain partnerships with secondary schools in China, which enable direct exchanges between young Chinese and young Swiss.
Representative in German-speaking Switzerland
Urs FRAEFEL
Representative in French-speaking Switzerland
LI Lamei
More information
SATC Working Group High Schools
Since the mid-2000s, teachers of Chinese at Swiss high schools have been meeting regularly to exchange ideas. In 2010, the first curriculum for Chinese as an optional subject at Swiss high schools was developed within this framework. In 2014, these informal meetings led to the founding of the association "Chinese at Swiss Secondary Schools". The aim was to better coordinate the various developments in the field of Chinese language teaching and to advocate for adequate training and further education opportunities. With the founding of the Swiss Association for the Teaching of Chinese, which is aimed at Chinese teachers at all levels of education, the association decided in 2015 to continue its involvement as a working group for secondary schools in the new association (and to dissolve the previous association) in order to make good use of the synergies.
The main concerns of the SATC working group on high schools are:
Secondary schools offering Chinese
Not all schools listed here currently offer Chinese. Please contact the individual schools for more information.
Neue Kantonsschule Aarau
Schanzmättelistr. 32
5000 Aarau
www.nksa.ch
Alte Kantonsschule Aarau
Bahnhofstr. 91
5001 Aarau
www.alte-kanti-aarau.ch
Kantonsschule Baden
Seminarstr. 3
5400 Baden
www.kanti-baden.ch
Kantonsschule Wettingen
Klosterstr. 11
5430 Wettingen
www.kanti-wettingen.ch
Kantonsschule Wohlen
Allmendstr. 26
5610 Wohlen
www.kanti-wohlen.ch
Kantonsschule Trogen
Niedern
9043 Trogen
www.kst.ch
Gymnasium Interlaken
Mittengrabenstr. 8
Postfach 621
3800 Interlaken
www.gyminterlaken.ch
Freies Gymnasium Bern
Beaulieustrasse 55
3012 Bern
www.fgb.ch
Gymnasium, FMS und WMS
Standort Seefeld
Äussere Ringstrasse 7
3600 Thun
www.gymthun.ch
Gymnasium Liestal
Friedensstr. 20
4410 Liestal
www.gymliestal.ch
Gymnasium Leonhard
—(das Angebot ist für die SchülerInnen aller fünf Basler Gymnasien wählbar)
Kohlenberg 17
4051 Basel
www.gymnasium-leonhard.ch
Collège du Sud
Rue de la Léchère 40
1630 Bulle
www.collegedusud.ch
Collège de Candolle
5, rue d'Italie
1204 Genève
www.edu.ge.ch
Institut Florimont
37 Avenue du Petit-Lancy
1213 Petit-Lancy
www.florimont.ch
Schweizerische Alpine Mittelschule Davos SAMD
Guggerbachstr. 2
7270 Davos Platz
www.samd.ch
Kantonsschule Alpenquai Luzern
Alpenquai 46-50
6002 Luzern
www.ksalpenquai.lu.ch
Lycée Denis-de-Rougemont
Rue Breguet 3
2001 Neuchâtel
www.lddr.ch
Lycée Jean-Piaget
Beaux-Arts 30
Case postale 1
2002 Neuchâtel
www.lyceejeanpiaget.ch
Lycée Blaise-Cendrars
Rue du Succès 41-45
2300 La Chaux-de-Fonds
www.lelbc.ch
Kantonsschule Heerbrugg
Karl-Völkerstr. 11
Postfach
9435 Heerbrugg
www.ksh.edu
Kantonsschule am Burggraben
Burggraben 21
9004 St. Gallen
www.ksbg.ch
Kantonsschule Wattwil
Näppisuelistr. 11
9630 Wattwil
www.kantiwattwil.ch
Kantonsschule Wil
Hubstr. 75
9500 Wil SG
www.kantiwil.ch
Kantonsschule Olten
Hardwald
4600 Olten
www.kantiolten.ch
Kantonsschule Solothurn
(Sprachliches und musisches Profil)
Herrenweg 18
4502 Solothurn
www.ksso.ch
Kantonsschule Ausserschwyz
Gwattstr. 2
8808 Pfäffikon SZ
www.ksasz.ch
Stiftsschule Einsiedeln
Kloster
8840 Einsiedeln
www.stiftsschule-einsiedeln.ch
Kantonsschule Kreuzlingen
Pestalozzistr. 7
8280 Kreuzlingen
www.ksk.ch
Pädagogische Maturitätsschule (PMS) Kreuzlingen
Hauptstr. 87
8280 Kreuzlingen
www.pmstg.ch
Kantonsschule Romanshorn
Weitenzelgstr. 12
Postfach 179
8590 Romanshorn
www.ksr.ch
Gymnase du Bugnon
Rue du Bugnon 5
1005 Lausanne
www.gymnasedubugnon.ch
Gymnase de la Cité
Pl. de la Cathédrale 1
1014 Lausanne
www.gymnasecite.ch
Gymnase cantonal de Beaulieu
Rue du Maupas 50
1000 Lausanne
www.gymnasedebeaulieu.ch
Gymnase cantonal de Chamblandes
Av. des Désertes 29
1009 Pully
www.gymnasedechamblandes.ch
Collège Champittet
1009 Pully-Lausanne
www.champittet.ch
Collège Alpin International Beau Soleil
1884 Villars-sur-Ollon
www.beausoleil.ch
Gymnase de Morges
Av. de Marcelin 33
1110 Morges
www.gymnase-morges.ch
Kantonsschule Zug
Lüssiweg 24
6300 Zug
www.zg.ch
Kantonsschule Enge
Steinentischstr. 10
8002 Zürich
www.ken.ch
Kantonsschule Zürich Nord
Birchstr. 107
8050 Zürich
www.kzn.ch
Kantonsschule Limmattal
In der Luberzen 34
8902 Urdorf
www.ksl.zh.ch
Hohe Promenade
Promenadengasse 11
8090 Zürich
www.kshp.ch
Kantonsschule Stadelhofen
Schanzengasse 17
8001 Zürich
www.ksstadelhofen.ch
Literargymnasium Rämi Büh
Rämistr. 56
8001 Zürich
www.lgr.ch
Kantonsschule Rychenberg
Rychenbergstr. 110
8400 Winterthur
www.ksrychenberg.ch
Fürstentum Liechtensteinisches Gymnasium
Marianumstr. 45
FL-9490 Vaduz
www.lg-vaduz.li
Secondary schools with partner schools in China
Kantonsschule Baden:
Shanghai I&C Foreign Languages School (seit 2014)
上海市工业外国语言学校
www.sgsw.edu.cn
Kantonsschule Trogen:
Chengdushi Shiyan
Waiguoyu Xuexiao
成都市实验外国语言学校
http://www.cefls.cn/
Gymnasium Interlaken:
Gymnasium Leonhard, Basel-Stadt:
Collège du Sud, Bulle:
Beijing No. 21 Middle School
北京师范大学附属中学
Institut Florimont, Genf:
High School Affiliated to Renmin University, Beijing
北京人民大学附属中学
http://www.rdfz.cn/
Schweizerische Alpine Mittelschule Davos SAMD:
Victoria Junior College, Singapur
www.vjc.moe.edu.sg
Kantonsschule am Burggraben:
High School Affiliated to Renmin University, Beijing
北京人民大学附属中学
http://www.rdfz.cn/
Kantonsschule Kreuzlingen:
Pudong Foreign Languages School, SISU, Shanghai
上海外国语大学附属浦东外国语学校
Curriculum
Please find the syllabus for Chinese as an optional subject at Swiss high schools.
— Lehrplan für das Freiwahlfach Chinesisch an Schweizer Gymnasien (only in German and French)
Qualifications and diplomas
Swiss teaching diploma for secondary schools
Anyone wishing to teach at a Swiss high school should have a teaching diploma for secondary schools. Depending on the subject and canton, this can be obtained at a university or university of applied sciences. However, this only applies to subjects recognised by the Swiss Matura Commission. Since Chinese is not one of these subjects, there is no training for Chinese teachers at secondary schools in Switzerland. When employing teachers, the school management must therefore consider and decide whether the qualifications of the applicants are sufficient or correspond to the job profile.
Those who, in addition to qualifications in Chinese, have a degree in a subject that is offered at high schools as a subject recognised by the Swiss Maturity Commission, have the option of taking the teaching diploma for high schools in this subject. This is currently the best alternative as long as it is not possible to obtain the teaching diploma in Chinese.
Recognition of foreign diplomas
If a teacher has a comparable teaching diploma obtained abroad, an application for recognition (certificate of equivalence) can be submitted to the Swiss Conference of Cantonal Ministers of Education (EDK). It should be noted that neither school headmasters nor cantonal authorities can issue such official recognition; the EDK is the only body in Switzerland that can issue such recognition.
Most important qualifications for Chinese teachers
The SATC advocates the creation of initial and in-service training opportunities in Switzerland for Chinese teachers in general and at upper secondary level in particular. As long as such opportunities do not exist, teachers who are interested in working at a secondary schools should consider the following points:
For employment at a secondary school, it is generally the case for non-native Chinese teachers that they have a degree in Sinology and have spent at least one academic year in a Chinese-speaking area. Ideally, they have teaching experience, e.g. in another subject, or have obtained a diploma for Chinese as a foreign language outside of Switzerland. Native-speaker teachers usually have a degree in the language in their home country and very good knowledge of the national language in the corresponding part of Switzerland. Teaching experience and a diploma for teaching Chinese as a foreign language are also a great advantage for them. It is very important that they have a good knowledge of the Swiss education system, especially at secondary level II, and are aware of the major differences between Switzerland and their Chinese-speaking home countries.
Matura theses with reference to China
We are in the process of compiling an index of all Matura theses with reference to China. A link to the document follows.