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Comment by clbrmbr | Hacker News Reader

Switzerland is apparently a federation of federations. Local self-determination. Amazing place if you ask me would move back there in a heartbeat.

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They also (at the cantonal level) have disparate education systems, with classes and grade levels mismatching between neighboring cantons. Yet, if you check what typical Swiss high school students are actually leaning (say at College de Candolle in Geneva), they are learning 3–5 languages, real literary analysis, and set theory. So somehow it’s working despite not having some perfect plan handed down by central authority. Hmm.

OK, also pretty wild to just say "typical Swiss high school" without mentioning the selective system that steers people into and, overwhelmingly, away from the collèges.

Yeah, basically 20-25% are going to gymnase, and the rest are split between professional and "generalist" student.

In Vaud, they merged the generalist class with the professional ones.

Literacy is dog shit even in the so call native language. Until 11-12, what they cover at school is barely better than what kids learn at 8-9 in other countries. The change in middle school for the 12yo+ are huge, and 2-3 years are caught back within less than a year.

Kids often struggle because of that huge difference. Needless to say, the bottom 75% are in even worse place, trying to study with kids who have no places at school.

Marvelous system.

The flip side of this is that you can't possibly use a canton Zurich 1st grade arithmetic exercise book in a school in canton Aargau, despite 2+2 not depending on the canton (it would if the Swiss had any choice in the matter).

Which are also interesting when you get certified in a trade school in one canton and then move into another one.

I remember when I used to live there, early 2000's, this was a problem, having to get an additional permit.

Incredible to see my high school mentioned here

> Switzerland is apparently a federation of federations.

And three republics! Geneva, Ticino, and Neuchâte.

I love going to Geneva and seeing the personification statues of the Republic of Geneva and of the Swiss Confederation standing side by side with the same height.

Well, without advocating that municipalities would be compelled to use it, isn't there at least some national service that they could opt into? I am sure that most of the red on this map is because it's a cinch to get Microsoft or Google to host your email. Of course in California we consider GSuite itself to be the green choice.

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