Should Swiss German be the lingua franca at kindergartens?

On Sunday 25 September the people of the canton of Zug will be asked if they support a motion initiated by the SVP party that Swiss German should be the lingua franca of kindergartens, if not also in certain subjects at primary and secondary level.
 
The party thought it right that both teachers and pupils communicate in Swiss German not only in kindergartens but in subjects such as physical education, music and handicraft at primary and secondary level. Furthermore, Swiss German is part of the cultural identity of locals here and use of it at kindergartens and schools for older pupils in these aforementioned subjects would help foreign children to integrate more.
 
Thomas Aeschi, the president of the SVP party of the canton of Zug and a member of the National Council representing the canton in Bern, wrote on this subject to the Neue Züger Zeitung. He felt one good reason for making it the language to be used in kindergartens and other schools was because of the poor standards of Swiss German one hears in school yards these days, with no-one correcting them in order that they might speak it properly.
 
He went on to say how Swiss German was something which needed nurturing. If it were spoken more at kindergartens and other schools, teachers would be able to correct their pupils when the dialect was sloppily used. “This would also help them in later life,” he said. “It is important, too, that people moving here should learn our dialect, and not just High German. After all, it is part of our cultural identity.” The party feels it is only right that “education experts”, by which they meant the local people themselves, should decide on this matter.
 
However, the majority ofmembers of the cantonal parliament are not in favour of this motion and have proposed an alternative one, more of a compromise, on which locals will also be able to vote at the end of next month. While they support the increased use of Swiss German in kindergartens, they do not feel it should replace High German in primary and secondary schools.
 
In all other six central Swiss cantons, High German is used in addition to dialect in kindergartens. An attempt by the SVP party of the canton of Lucerne to have the dialect as the sole lingua franca of kindergartens failed.
 
Expats who have enough trouble with High German, should not be too put off if they find Swiss German just adds to their linguistic problems. After all, even when films with Swiss dialect are shown in Germany, subtitles in High German are often used.