Privatization in Public Education in Zurich: A Story of Absence

• In Event: 65.039 - Understanding Education Privatization and Marketization in Canada, Iceland, Switzerland, and the United States

Abstract

Although some public services in Switzerland such as health care are increasingly affected by privatization and marketization, the education system in seems to have been largely immune to these influences. In fact, the Swiss people voted several times against school choice and school vouchers in many cantons of Switzerland. This study focuses on the canton of Zurich, and addresses the following questions: First, in what ways has privatization appeared in public education in Zurich? And second, what are the primary factors that have prevented privatization in Zurich, despite the inroads it has made in many other sectors?

To date, privatization and marketization in Switzerland have not been at the center of research in education studies. There are only a few available studies and thus it is important to provide an overview over the Swiss situation. Where do privatization and marketization occur in (public) education? What education institutions have endured, and what new forms have emerged in the past years? To analyze the current situation I use the “Classification of public and private welfare activity” (Burchardt et al, 1999; Whitty & Power 2000). This framework will allow me to identify where and how privatization and possibly marketization occur in the Swiss education system. I use a case study approach, triangulating research from scholars who examined privatization in Switzerland, government policy documents and press releases, and general media sources to develop a deeper understanding of the current situation.

There is little privatization and marketization of the Swiss education system. Only about 5% of all students attend private schools, which do not receive public funding, and for which ownership and provision are private as well. Furthermore, Switzerland basically has no school choice, school vouchers, or charter schools, although there are various private providers of supplemental education and tutoring. While there has been some movement towards decentralization over the past years (such as shifting responsibilities from the school boards to the schools), the core of the public education system, still allows almost no private influences nor is it much affected by neoliberal ideas.

I argue that the reason for this comparative lack of privatization and marketization of education in Switzerland is historical and can be traced to the country’s strong republican roots. In addition, direct democracy has had a conservative influence, which has slowed the pace of system change. This study is significant for mainly two reasons. First, it provides what is perhaps the first overview of the Swiss education system that focuses on the effects of privatization and marketization. Second, it explains what factors have been crucial for the development of Switzerland’s strong public education system. It is hoped this study can clarify how and why the Swiss education system (mainly in the canton of Zurich) developed in this particular way and why it is that privatization has had so little impact.

 

Author

• Bettina Diethelm Werder, Zurich University of Teacher Education