Reduction in instrumental teaching at the PH FHNW
At the University of Teacher Education Northwestern Switzerland, teaching on the instrument is to be cut by almost half. This would be a further blow to the quality of school music.
The University of Teacher Education Northwestern Switzerland (PH FHNW) is planning to reduce the number of instrumental lessons for future teachers from 1,021 to 615 full-time equivalents from the fall semester of 2025. Tandem lessons are to take the place of individual lessons, which are highly valued by students. This will further reduce the already limited training time in music.
Teachers need sound training in order to be able to offer high-quality music lessons in kindergarten and elementary school, as required by Article 67a of the Federal Constitution. However, many future teachers themselves have only received inadequate music lessons, and in some cases no music lessons at all at upper secondary and grammar school. Differentiation in music lessons at the PH is therefore essential in order to meet the individual requirements and needs of students. However, the planned cuts will undermine precisely this.
In a petition, the VPOD Aargau/Solothurn is calling on the political decision-makers in the cantons of Basel-Stadt, Basel-Landschaft, Solothurn and Aargau, as well as the management of the PH FHNW, to reverse these cost-cutting measures and to make the financial resources available again in full:
