Brazilian-born Swiss national's hopes of taking Matura thwarted

17-year-old Enzo Emch’s dream is to able to take the Matura, the school-leaving examination taken by Swiss pupils after they have normally attended an academic secondary school or Gymnasium, or a Cantonal School in the case of Zug. However, at present the canton’s education authorities are denying him this opportunity.

It was at the end of 2014 that the then 13-year-old returned to Switzerland from Brazil. He admitted that, in all honesty, he had not really wanted to leave Brazil, having lots of friends there and on tracks to take his school-leaving examinations. Nevertheless, he came here and set about learning German as soon as possible, his mother assuming he would simply be able to carry on to pursue his dream with regard to school-leaving qualifications here.

Hence on his return here he embarked on an Integrated Bridging Course, (IBA) which helps foreign youngsters with limited German to get ahead. And this he did, learning the language well and even understanding Swiss German. He was already learning English back in Brazil, where the lingua franca is, of course, Portuguese.

Then he embarked on a Combined Bridging Course (KBA), which is primarily intended for youngsters before starting on their apprenticeship courses. This means they have two days of schooling followed by three days of working in the firms where they are doing the apprenticeships. In Emch’s case, this was at the Fischer & Margraf bedding manufacturing company in the Erlenhof on Zug’s Baarerstrasse (where this photograph of him was taken). “I was not really sure what I wanted to do when I embarked on the KBA course,” he admitted, though what he was sure of was that he did not want to end up unemployed. “Not that I regretted doing it, he said, “I made good friends there; the teachers helped us a lot and I was very well supported by my coach.”

However, now he seems to find himself at a dead end, and this in a Swiss system renowned for keeping all opportunities open. Supporting him in no small way has been Johanna Margraf of the afore-mentioned company, sending off all sorts of applications, for example to the Cantonal School in Menzingen. When asked about Emch’s application, the pro-rector of the school, Timo Gültig, said that, according to the rules, admission to the school from a KBA course was not possible, though it was from an IBA one. Naturally somewhat confused, Margraf took the matter up with the cantonal director of education, Stephan Schliess, who wrote to say that the purpose of a KBA was to help those on both in practice and in theory as they seek to find a job, echoing Gültig’s ruling. However, he did suggest Emch embark on a course leading to a vocational or specialist school-leaving certificate, which would allow him later to go on to apply to a university or a university of applied sciences and arts.

At present, the situations is that Emch is waiting to hear from two applications he made for apprenticeships. “I just want to be able to lead my life without difficulties,” he said. “I have not got a plan B,” though he admitted that he had toyed with the idea of returning to Brazil, an idea he has since rejected. “I am not giving up hope,” he added, finding solace in playing his guitar and drawing. Ideally, he would like to work in a job where he could express his artistic leanings.

There is one other possibility, that of doing a Schooling Bridging Course (SKA) but this would not leave the 17-year-old with the opportunity of changing schools.

While all this might be right if sticking blindly to the regulations, Johanna Margraf is not accepting it lying down and quoted part of Article 4 of the Swiss Constitution, which says that, "along with personal responsibility and private initiative, both the state and the cantons shall support young people in their efforts to educate themselves and undertake further training according to their capabilities".

“Well, here we have someone who wants to learn, but is not being allowed, too,” she said.