China’s first official Swiss School opens in Beijing

Press release, 30.10.2017

The opening ceremony of China’s first Swiss School was held on Monday October 30th in Beijing. President of the Swiss Council of States Dr. Ivo Bischofsberger on his recent visit to China and Swiss Ambassador to China Dr. Jean-Jacques de Dardel attended the ceremony.

Opening of the Swiss School Beijing
Opening of the Swiss School Beijing © Swiss Embassy in Beijing

The Swiss School Beijing, a section of Western Academy of Beijing (WAB), is China’s first school supported by the Swiss government. “We offer a German-language education, based on the Swiss curriculum, within an international environment,” says Dr. Barbara Stäuble, President of the Swiss School Beijing. In its inaugural year, the school offers a Kindergarten as well as Primary 1 and Primary 2 classes, with one additional class rolled out every subsequent year. In addition to learning German, students are also taught Chinese, English and French.

Text books, teacher training and quality assurance for the Swiss School Beijing are provided and supported by the Canton of Zurich, which has a long history of cultural and economic ties with China. Students of the Swiss School Beijing are taught a Swiss curriculum that emphasizes a holistic and multilingual education, where children are continuously at the center of the learning process and focus on developing academic knowledge as well as creative, sportive and social skills. With the opening of the Swiss School Beijing, the network of Swiss Schools abroad now comprises 18 schools. Each one is linked to a Canton in Switzerland that provides curricular support and quality assurance.

The Swiss School Beijing offers a unique window onto the Swiss Education system, which has contributed significantly towards Switzerland’s present-day ranking as the most innovative country worldwide. “Switzerland has no raw materials to speak of. Our most important ‘natural resource’ is education. The Swiss economy is not driven by mass manufacturing, but by the development and production of high-quality goods. This means that the economy needs a steady supply of well-educated and skilled workers. Thanks to the Swiss education system, ours is one of the most stable and competitive economies in the world,” Swiss Ambassador Jean-Jacques de Dardel said at the ceremony.  

WAB has a long tradition of providing Mother Tongue Language Programs. Thanks to the partnership between WAB and the Association Swiss School Beijing, students of the Swiss School Beijing can enjoy the friendly atmosphere and multicultural environment of WAB, while benefiting from WAB’s excellent facilities.

More about the Swiss School Beijing.