School trips: practice in the Canton of Zug is being revised

The Zug municipalities react differently to the Federal Supreme Court decision.

Excursions and school trips strengthen the cohesion between students, and provide an opportunity to gain experiences outside the classroom. They thereby represent an elementary part of the education. A decision of the Federal Court in early December 2017 has made a revision of this practice necessary. The obligatory school time must be free of charge for the students.

Specifically, this means that schools may no longer demand money from parents for school trips. This has required the communities in the canton of Zug to review their previous practice and, where necessary, to increase their contributions. The municipalities have responded differently to the verdict. The head of the Department of Education of the City of Zug, Vroni Straub, reports that only camps or excursions that are a part of the required primary education must be carried out free of charge for the parents. "The costs of food and accommodation must continue to be provided, however. The maximum allowable amount per day is likely to be between CHF 10 and CHF 16”, adds Straub. So there are still some costs for the parents. Furthermore, the City of Zug has revised its guide for schools and recreational camps as a result of the Federal Supreme Court decision. The city is now paying 10 francs more per camp week and participant.

The municipality of Hünenberg has made adjustments. Rector Rolf Schmid confirms that the excursion credits have been increased by CHF 15 per learning person. "On the basis of Federal Court ruling, the local council has decided to increase its contributions." With the available excursion loans, class teachers can decide for themselves which excursions and lectures they would like to undertake. There are no obligatory educational excursions, but the school trip is still an important part of a school year.

Schmid believes that the excursions and school trips can still be carried out to the same extent as before with the help of the increased credit. "We will keep an eye on this, and, if necessary, apply for adjustments in stages. If the costs for the means of transport rise, we have to see whether the CHF 15 will still be sufficient in the future."
The municipality of Baar has also increased its contributions, as Rector Urban Bossard explains: "The usual excursions will take place, and there will be no reduction. The municipality simply has to pay more." The municipality of Walchwil has a different strategy, as the provisional school president René Peyer expressed: "Walchwil has not increased the contributions. If there are special excursions or camps that exceed the contributions stipulated by the federal government, this can be budgeted in addition." All the municipalities agree on one point, however: school trips are of great importance and must not be neglected.