As a second national language, from the 2027/28 school year onwards, students in the Gymnasium will be able to choose between Italian and French. This change is part of the Swiss-wide development of the gymnasium Matura, which has been decided on by the Confederation and the cantons. The aim of the reform is to further develop the gymnasium education path and to strengthen the national language Italian in the process.

The reform will comprehensively modernise the A-level qualification (Matura) after around 30 years. In addition to adjustments in the language subjects, other areas of teaching will also be further developed: The subjects of computer science and business and law will be given greater weight and will become core subjects, the grades of which count towards the Matura certificate. Overall, the reform aims to make A-level qualification (Matura) even more closely aligned with the requirements of higher education, the world of business and society, and to provide students with a broader general education.

The implementation of these reforms will be introduced in Basel-Stadt in the 2027/28 school year. This means that the change in the choice of the second national language will affect those students who enrol at a Gymnasium in January 2027. For teachers in lower secondary education, the choice of language may thus become a topic in the preparation and advice for transfer to a Gymnasium, for example when students are weighing up their interests and language skills. It is also possible to choose Italian at a Gymnasium without prior training in lower secondary education.

At present, the impact on the distribution of languages can only be estimated. Patrick Langloh, Head of Upper Secondary Schools and Vocational Training, expects that French will continue to be the language of choice for the majority: ‘At the beginning, there will probably be a tendency to opt out of French, but the challenge of learning and using Italian from scratch in a short time should not be underestimated.’

Text: Maren Stotz, photo: Grischa Schwank