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Neuchatel, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - The combination of a larger student population in coming years and a steep rise in the number of teachers reaching retirement age could well lead to a shortage of teachers in Switzerland, the 2008 Education Statistics published by the federal statistics office indicates. Hardest hit are likely to be primary schools, where 45 percent more teachers will be retiring between now and 2018. Secondary schools will see a 20-25 percent increase in retirements.

Foreign students make up 44% of specialized education classes

The statistics also show a slip in the number of foreign students as they get older, from 23 percent of the primary school student population to 21 percent for secondary schools, but one of the most startling figures is the percentage for “specialized education”, where they account for 44 percent of the total. These figures includes what English speakers generally refer to as special education for children with special needs, but they also include the classes for children who arrive in Switzerland without enough mastery of the local language to attend regular school.

If these students are included in overall statistics for foreigners, 23 percent of the 788,000 children in primary and secondary schools in Switzerland were foreigners in 2008.