Swiss Government Moves to Mandate Second National Language Teaching in Primary Schools

Federal Council Addresses Language Education Concerns

The Swiss Federal Council announced on September 19, 2025, its intention to draft legislation that would oblige cantons to maintain the teaching of a second national language at the primary school level. This move comes in response to growing concerns that some German-speaking cantons are opting to postpone the introduction of a second national language, typically French, until secondary school, or are prioritizing English instruction. The government views these developments as a potential threat to both the harmonization of educational standards and national cohesion.

Switzerland officially recognizes four national languages: German, French, Italian, and Romansh. While education policy largely falls under cantonal responsibility, the federal government is stepping in to ensure linguistic diversity is preserved across the nation's educational landscape.

Background to the Proposed Legislation

The current educational framework, established by the HarmoS concordat in 2009, mandates that primary school pupils learn two foreign languages: one national language and English. However, several cantons have recently challenged this approach. For instance, Appenzell Ausserrhoden removed French from its primary curriculum in March, followed by Zurich in September, and St. Gallen announced a similar decision. Other cantons, including Basel-Landschaft, Thurgau, and Schwyz, are reportedly debating comparable changes. These actions have prompted the Federal Council to prepare for a 'possible failure of the harmonisation of language teaching'.

Two Legislative Options Under Consideration

The Federal Council has tasked the interior ministry with preparing two distinct variants for the draft legislation:

• Option 1: Enshrine the existing HarmoS solution directly into law, which requires the teaching of two foreign languages (a national language and English) at the primary level.
• Option 2: Introduce a more flexible minimum requirement, stipulating that a second national language must be taught from elementary school until the end of lower secondary level. This option would offer cantons greater leeway in implementation.

Federal intervention would only become necessary if the 2004 compromise on language teaching, which underpins the HarmoS agreement, is abandoned by the cantons. The aim of the proposed bill is to clarify the role of national languages in education, balancing the autonomy of the cantons with the overarching need to protect Switzerland's rich linguistic diversity and foster mutual understanding among its language communities.