Swiss schools abroad threatened by economies

The shadow of confederation economy measures hovers over Swiss schools abroad. If some are fighting for their survival, others fear losing their “suissitude”. We met with worried school officials at the annual conference of their umbrella organization.

Katy Romy

Corresponding to the federal palace for Swi Swissinfo.ch, I decrypt the federal policy for the Swiss from abroad. After studying at the Academy of Journalism and the Media of the University of Neuchâtel, my professional career first led me in various regional media, within the editorial offices of the Journal du Jura, Canal 3 and Radio Jura Bernese. Since 2015, I have been working in the multilingual editorial staff of Swi Swissinfo.ch, where I continue to exercise my job with passion.

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“If the cuts provided by the Confederation are forcibly, we will not have to close our doors, but we risk losing our Swiss identity,” warns Daniel Aljure, president of the Swiss school in Bogota.

He is not the only one to be worried. The managers of the 17 Swiss schools abroad, who met on July 9 in the Glaronnais commune of Näfels for the annual conference of their umbrella organization EducationsuisseExternal linkare immersed in uncertainty.

Source of their fears: the government’s economy program which wants to alleviate federal finances of 2.4 billion francs from 2027 and up to 3.1 billion in 2029. If the Parliament confirms these cuts, the budget of Swiss schools abroad will be amputated by 7.9 million francs by 2028.

>> Reread our article on cuts that threaten Swiss schools abroad:

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Swiss schools abroad threatened by the economies of the Confederation

This content was published on

30 avr. 2025

The Confederation austerity treatment jeopardizes Swiss schools abroad. Serge Künzler, the director of their umbrella organization is worried.

Read more the Swiss schools abroad threatened by the economies of the Confederation

The story of Daniel Aljure is intimately linked to the Swiss school in Bogota, since he was he himself educated, just like his wife, and today his children. He fears that the establishment, the only one to have a French section, loses its multicultural character. “With us, German-speaking, Francophones and Spanish-speaking cultures rub shoulders on a daily basis,” he says.

To provide teaching of Swiss national languages and transmit Swiss cultural values to 760 students, the school must be able to recruit Swiss teachers. In the Colombian capital, they are 34 out of 100. “If the subsidies decrease, it will be difficult to attract this staff,” deplores Daniel Aljure.

An effective public-private partnership

Same concerns on the side of Barbara Stäuble, president of the Swiss school of Beijing, which welcomes around forty students. “Federal subsidies help us in particular to cover the social contributions of Swiss teachers, higher than elsewhere. With less money, we can engage less and we will lose part of our ‘suissitude’, “she explains.

She insists on the importance of employing Swiss staff, familiar with the country’s education system: “We also want to transmit our democratic values”.

The president of the establishment stresses that each franc invested by Switzerland is supplemented by four francs paid by the parents of students. In his eyes, this shows that this is a very effective public-private partnership. “For the Confederation, there is a real return on investment: teachers return to Switzerland with precious experience, just like some of the students we have trained,” she says.

With fewer means, Barbara Stäuble is also afraid of having to reduce the number of scholarships awarded to students whose parents have limited means. “And in the worst case, we should resolve to close our doors, even if I don’t hope,” she says.

A soft power instrument

The same fears emerge on other continents. “With a reduction in the subsidies of the Confederation, we will not simply be a Swiss school, but an international school as there are so many others,” said the director of the Swiss School of São Paulo in Brazil, Maurus Somme.

He considers that the Confederation would thus deprive itself of an important instrument of soft power. “We are the largest exporter of Swiss values, such as punctuality or precision, in Brazil, one of the largest countries in the world,” said the latter.

The cuts in subsidies to Swiss schools abroad also jeopardize a long tradition. The first school outside the borders was built in 1892 in Bergamo, Italy, to accommodate the children of the employees of the Cotton Legler spinning.

“Today, Swiss students represent only 15% of some 130 children who attend our school in Bergamo,” said director Rita Sauter. However, she points out that the local population is very attached to the Swiss school, the only one that offers German as a language of teaching in the region. “It would be tragic to have to resolve to close it, but the budget cuts question our sustainability,” said the director.

>> What is the role of Swiss schools abroad in 2025? The response of several establishments of establishments.

The Swiss school in Madrid leaves Educationsuisse

The Swiss school in Madrid has already chosen to reorient itself, by focusing on a private partner. She will join the Swiss International Schools Group (SIS) in September 2026, as communicatedExternal link The network of international schools last May.

“For several years, we haven’t had enough students, especially in small classes. This is explained by the decline in births in Spain, but also by the fierce competition of private schools in Madrid. In our neighborhood alone, there are 19, ”explains the director of the establishment, Christina Urech.

The establishment’s management has set up around sixty measures to try to increase its workforce. In vain. “We ended up approaching SIS and decided to establish a partnership with them. This allows us to ensure the future of our school for our 500 students, ”says Christina Urech. However, it concedes that the measures of the economy of the Confederation played a role in this decision.

The Swiss school in Madrid will therefore leave Educationsuisse. “I regret it very much, because I appreciate the Swiss education system, but, for us, it is a question of survival. I do not see any other solutions, ”says his director.

Serge Künzler, the director of Educationsuisse, did not wish to comment on the departure of the Madrid school in the Giron of the Swiss schools abroad. Present at the annual conference, the director of the Federal Culture Office, Carine Bachmann, tried to reassure the managers of the establishments by claiming that the Confederation intended to remain a partner of Swiss schools abroad. “The Federal Office of Culture cannot, however, change the poor health of federal finances,” she said.

For its part, the group of experts who developed this savings plan writes that “a reduction in this area seems possible in view of the important amounts of residual credits accumulated in recent years, in particular because the number of Swiss children educated abroad has fell”.

An opinion that Serge Künzler does not share. “We have done a survey that has shown that between four and seven Swiss schools would be strongly threatened in the event of a drop in federal subsidies,” he said.

Text reread and verified by Samuel Jaberg