"Department of Public Instruction" and "HARMOS".

The private school I am looking at references these when talking about their objectives at the school and curriculum among other things like it's philosophy etc.


Does anyone know what these are? Do they standardize education in Switzerland?

If anyone knows what they mean that would be great.

Trying to find information on them in English is proving a bit difficult...

Thanks!

Have a search around the forum, I know Haromos has been discussed here before. In essence, it is the new law that many, not all, cantons are adhering to that harmonises certain aspects of schooling across the cantons. At the moment there is little in common from canton to canton, except perhaps close neighbor cantons, from the age of school start, to the subjects taught at certain ages, and the curriculum. The Harmos will synchronise some of this, but in no cases everything to do with schooling, it is a good start. Harmos implementation is just beginning in 2012 for some of the early signees to it, it will be implemented later in other cantons, and not at all in others. Kind of a wait and see how it will work and unfold.

I assume the other term is related to the canton's education department, but am not sure.

The Department of Public Instruction is the cantonal department responsible for kindergarten and compulsory school up to the end of secondary one.

Harmos will unify the school system of the majority of the cantons as follows:
Common educational concept for the 11 school years
Mandatory kindergarten over two years
Unified standards of the basic education
Unified curricula within a language region
Coordination of the foreign language teaching
Unified monitoring of the education
Introduction of day care and "Blockzeiten"

Thank you guys for your feedback here.


So then, if a school references Department of Public Instruction and HARMOS for their curriculum, than would it be relatively safe to say then that they have a legitimate curriculum?

They are also part of AGEP, and SFPS.

In your opinion is this a legit operation then?

Thank you guys. I appreciate your responses here.

Why don't you just ask the department of education of the canton where the school is? Private schools have to have a cantonal permit of recognition.

Ok.

That is a good idea


Do you know where I can find a list of the canton numbers?

We would be in center city Geneva

Thanks again!

It might be easier t send them a mail: infodip@etat.ge.ch (general secretary of the department of public information geneva)

thanks so much