{"id":16244,"date":"2025-02-17T09:22:56","date_gmt":"2025-02-17T09:22:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/reci-education.ch\/?p=16244"},"modified":"2025-02-17T16:31:08","modified_gmt":"2025-02-17T16:31:08","slug":"position-paper-protest-against-the-deletion-of-basic-education","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/reci-education.ch\/en\/position-paper-protest-against-the-deletion-of-basic-education\/","title":{"rendered":"Position paper: Protest against the deletion of basic education in the IC Strategy 2025-2028"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
Position paper: Protest against the deletion of basic education in the Swiss IC Strategy 2025-2028<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p> \u00a0<\/span><\/p> RE<\/span>CI<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>is the Swiss network for education and international cooperation. With its 40 members \u2013 Swiss non-profit organisations, academic institutions, foundations, and professionals \u2013 RECI advocates for the right to quality education and lifelong learning for all people worldwide.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p> We thank Parliament for its clear commitment to comprehensive funding for education in the debate at the end of last year. This was an encouraging signal that Switzerland continues to focus on effective and sustainable international cooperation as a real investment in human development and global stability and not merely as a symbolic gesture.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p> However, the Federal Council’s recent decisions, as set out in the <\/span>press release of 29 January 2025<\/span><\/a>, cause incomprehension and deep concern. With the decision <\/span>to remove basic education from the international cooperation strategy<\/span><\/b>, Switzerland is undermining the foundations of its own development cooperation.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p> The decision contradicts recognised principles for effective international cooperation as well as the criteria that SDC has carefully developed with its partners over the past decades.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p> \u00a0<\/span><\/p> We call on the Federal Council and the FDFA to <\/span><\/b>comply with Parliament’s directives and to present a coherent strategy that promotes education as a whole, in line with SDG 4, and respects its own principles for effective international cooperation.<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p> \u00a0<\/span><\/p> Reason for our demand:<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p> The communiqu\u00e9 <\/span>“<\/span>International cooperation:<\/span> FDFA and EAER implement Parliament’s decisions<\/span><\/a>” lists the criteria for the <\/span>budget cuts as follows:\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p> However, the abolition of basic education is in blatant contradiction to all these criteria. <\/span>\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/p> Basic education is the basis and prerequisite for vocational education and training and education in emergency situations<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p> \u00a0<\/span><\/p> The communiqu\u00e9 mentioned above describes basic education as a “sub-topic” of education \u2013 a view that misjudges reality. In short, no successful vocational education and training can take place without the corresponding, solid basic education. i.e. basic skills such as reading, writing and arithmetic as well as social skills (for a detailed explanation of the context, we would like to refer to our <\/span>position paper of 2023)<\/span><\/a>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p> Likewise, countries without a functioning basic education system are not in a position to guarantee education in crisis situations. Especially in crisis situations, the first focus is ultimately on basic education and education in crisis situations must always refer to the local education systems. <\/span>The cancellation of basic education corresponds to a radical, absurd amputation, in which an arm and a leg are to be saved by sacrificing vital organs.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p> \u00a0<\/span><\/p> Switzerland’s impact, added value and many years of experience\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p> The communiqu\u00e9 argues that Switzerland brings special <\/span>added value<\/span><\/b> to vocational education and training due to our successful dual education system. However, this success is only possible with the design of basic education that is tailored to vocational education and training. In development cooperation, too, good basic education is a prerequisite for the <\/span>effectiveness <\/span><\/b>of work in the areas of vocational education and training and education in emergency situations.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>
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