The lower secondary level promotes the development of pupils and their personality and encourages them to life-long learning. It promotes self-responsibility and personal initiative, and encourages the identification and solving of problems, the handling of conflicts and on working individually or collaboratively. It also prepares for the upper secondary level.
The cantons are responsible for the curricula. They specify the number of lessons per subject and the teaching material. The Intercantonal Agreement on Harmonisation of Compulsory Education (HarmoS Agreement) stipulates a harmonisation of the curricula on the level of the linguistic regions. The French-speaking cantons have implemented the «Plan d’études romand» (PER), the 21 German-speaking and multilingual cantons the «Lehrplan 21» and the canton of Ticino the «Piano di studio».
The following subjects are taught at lower secondary level:
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languages: language of schooling, foreign languages (a second national language, English and a third national language optional)
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mathematics
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natural sciences: biology, chemistry, physics
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social sciences and humanities: e.g. geography, history, civic education
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music, art and design (music, visual arts, textile design, technical design)
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physical education and health
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home economics
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career guidance and vocational preparation
Some fields can be taught interdisciplinarily or as specific subjects (e.g. the use of information and communication technologies (ICT), education for sustainable development, health promotion, sex education, intercultural education, media education, ethics and religions).