The mastery of spelling is one of the strengths of the start of the school year in Geneva. “When you see how young people write today, you say to yourself that you can do better,” said State Councilor Anne Hiltpold, head of the Department of Public Instruction, Training and Youth (DIP) on Tuesday.
The return of the dictation of yesteryear is on the program, as is the reading and implementation of specific exercises to teach students the subtleties of the French language. In addition, spelling will be corrected to all courses, regardless of the discipline taught.
The strengthening of this basic competence will result in the spring by the organization of one week entirely dedicated to spelling in schools. It is a question of consolidating the mastery of the written language, which remains an essential element for academic and professional success.
This concern posed by spelling is not a Geneva particularity. A recent study of the Education Research Service (SRED) had highlighted an insufficient level of French among French students. An observation that prompted several French -speaking cantons to strengthen the learning of French.
Banned phones
The other novelty of this school year is the prohibition of mobile phones in compulsory education establishments, at all times. “It’s a real scourge,” said Ms. Hiltpold. These phones and the social networks associated with it have negative effects in adolescents and disrupt learning.
In terms of staff, students are more and more numerous year after year. For this school year, the canton has nearly 40,000 children in primary school, just over 14,800 in the orientation cycle and almost 27,000 in secondary II. Compared to 2024, there are a total of 1,151 more students.
Young people are supervised by 8268 teachers. In order to respond to the growth in the number of students and to compensate for retirements 446 new employees were engaged in the DIP, 160 in primary school, 102 in the orientation cycle, 151 in secondary II, 29 in special education and 4 at the Office of Children and Youth.
This article was published automatically. Source: ATS