Bilingual classes should be possible everywhere in canton Bern, say lawmakers

Bilingual school classes should be possible everywhere in canton Bern and no longer depend on the initiative or the resources of the municipalities, say Swiss lawmakers. + Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox On Tuesday, Bern's cantonal parliament passed a motion to this effect by a clear majority of 76 votes to 49, with one abstention. The motion, backed by parliamentarians from six parties, urges the cantonal government to take all legislative and financial steps needed to ensure that municipalities choosing to do so can offer bilingual classes as part of the standard primary school curriculum. The vote follows a heated debate about bilingual classes in the city of Bern. In May 2025, the Bern city authorities announced that it would not be continuing its Classes Bilingues (Clabi) educational project, which had been running since 2019. The authorities justified the decision with financial and organisational arguments. The cantonal government said it has been ...