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Studying in Basel
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As the city of Humanism and the oldest university city in Switzerland, Basel can look back on a distinguished tradition as a centre of education. Basel has a wide and comprehensive range of educational facilities that go well beyond basic schooling. Besides private and public schools, the city that houses Switzerland's oldest university also has a polytechnic and many other educational institutions.
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In Switzerland, education is a cantonal responsibility; the Swiss confederation runs only the two federal institutes of technology in Zurich and Lausanne. As a result, school systems vary from canton to canton, except that, in recent years, the start of the school year in mid-August has been standardized throughout Switzerland.
The school system in Basel
The kindergarten is part of the state-sector education service and part of the obligatory school period. At the age of seven children start at primary school, which lasts four years. This is then followed by three-years at orientation school (OS). Primary school and OS pupils have the opportunity to eat a midday meal within their school's town quarter. Lessons are given in regular blocks at both levels.
Following OS, pupils are directed either to the E-stream or the A-stream of secondary school (two years) or to grammar school (five years). As a rule, apprenticeships are begun after nine or ten years of schooling, at the age of 16 or 17, while the baccalaureate required for university studies is taken at the age of 18 or 19 after twelve years of schooling.
Apprenticeships and tertiary education
The nine-year obligatory school period is followed by an apprenticeship, a well-established Swiss feature, that leads to a certificate of competence in a technical trade or business.·Secondary schools provide deeper general education and prepare pupils for colleges of higher education via vocational baccalaureates.
The grammar school leads via the baccalaureate to university studies and professional academic qualifications. Besides the university founded in 1460 (Switzerland's oldest university) there is now another higher educational institution, the University of applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW), which provides further education at university level. Here many successful and distinguished colleges are brought together, such as for example the School of Design and Art. The Basel Area Institute of Teacher Training and Social Services (HPSA BB) is set to open in the summer of 2004.
Private schools
For those who do not want to go to a state school, Basel and the area around offer a choice of private educational institutions, such as international schools which are teaching in English and the Rudolf Steiner School. However, the Matura must meet federal standards.
There are also many private schools that offer language, information technology and business courses.
Campus Basel - a centre for research
Because of Basel's reputation as an international centre for the production of pharmaceuticals and chemicals, research is an important activity conducted at various university institutes, many of them with close links to industry.
Thanks to its strength in research and innovation, Basel has produced many Nobel-prize winners. It has also one of the world's highest patent densities, and provides top-ranking medicine at its university clinics.
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