The Vaudois Minister of Training Frédéric Borloz reported on Sunday in the 7:30 p.m. of the RTS of “little feedback” on cases of racism linked to the war in the Middle East in the canton’s schools. According to him, the increase observed mainly manifests itself “outside of school”.
A year later, the war in the Middle East still resonates in Switzerland, particularly in universities. On Wednesday, nearly 200 students from the University of Lausanne (UNIL) and the Federal Polytechnic School of Lausanne (EPFL) gathered on campus to denounce Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon.
Anger and indignation are still raw. The students criticize the universities in particular for not having kept their commitment made last May after the occupations calling, among other things, for an academic boycott with Israeli institutions.
>> Read again on this subject: Swiss EPF: collaborations with potentially security aims with Israeli entities
Invited on Sunday on the 7:30 p.m. set, Frédéric Borloz, head of the Vaud department of Training, who had lobbied to put an end to the mobilizations in Lausanne universities, maintains his position. “Everyone has the right to express themselves. We have the right to do so in public places, but from there to occupying premises is another question,” reacted the PLR State Councilor, who said he did not want such occupations to happen again, citing the “exclusion of other students”.
>> The 7:30 p.m. topic on the echo of the war in the Middle East in Swiss schools:
“Few problems” with racism
The ongoing war today has an echo in all strata of the education system, even in the playgrounds. It seems to have reinforced racist dynamics, with an increase in Islamophobic and anti-Semitic acts observed since October 7, 2023.
In Zurich, the cantonal Parliament voted last April on a plan to combat racism and anti-Semitism in schools, which the executive must now put in place. In the canton of Vaud, “a lot of prevention has been put in place for a long time”, assures Frédéric Borloz, citing in particular mediation tools. “Each teacher received support to handle this type of situation.”
However, he wants to be reassuring about the context in Vaud schools: “We have relatively few reports of problems” of racism linked to events in the Middle East, said the State Councilor, who reports a “slight” increase in cases . According to him, this increase in racism is mainly expressed “outside of school”.
Strengthen training
The head of Vaud training announced that he would like to strengthen the training of teachers on these themes, without specifying a timetable. “Our anti-racism prevention plan must be able to adapt to changing current events. Depending on this, we must be able to strengthen or reduce certain measures,” added Frédéric Borloz, recalling that “anti-Semitism and Islamophobia has no place in school.
Questioned also about the recent attacks by the PLR and the UDC concerning schools in Switzerland, the Vaudois stressed that politicians should instead “listen to teachers on the ground to try to adapt the system and training”. “It is not by criticizing them that we will move things forward. Rather, we must try to support them,” he argued.
>> Read also: The PLR is working hard to try to reform schools in Switzerland
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