288 EDUCATION IN A SWISS CANTON. 



for the girls'. Between tliem they supervise the Primary- 

 Schools in the country. Also they decide which Primary 

 School a child shall attend. 



Every Primary School consists of four classes, each being' 

 a one year's course. Throughout all the classes the study of 

 German receives great attention. For example, in Class IV., 

 the highest in the Primary Schools, out of 26 " hourly " 

 periods per week, 10 are devoted to lessons in the native 

 tongue, 3 being given to reading, etc., 6 to the language 

 in its strict sense, and i to Heimatkunde, which consists of 

 observation lessons in plants, animals, etc., of the home dis- 

 tricts and the simple study of its geography and history. But 

 these " observation " lessons are treated to a great extent as 

 " language " lessons. This proportion of the total weekly 

 period is considered highly necessary on account of the diffi- 

 culties of High German Grammar in itself and of the need of 

 correcting the Low German spoken by the children in their 

 homes. 



No class may have more than 52 pupils. This may seem a 

 fairly high maximum, but, on the other hand, the classes con- 

 tain only normal children as there prevails in Basel a modifica- 

 tion of the " Mannheim " svstem. For many years there have 

 existed " Spezialklassen " for children of more or less weak 

 intellect. In these classes the teaching is adapted to a certain 

 extent to the syllabus of instruction for normal pupils, but 

 much is left to the discretion of the teacher, who has practi- 

 cally a free hand. Children are put into them only with the 

 consent of the school doctor and of the parents. "At present 

 there are four of these special schools in different parts of the 

 town, one having three classes and the others tw'o each. The 

 working school day is an hour shorter than that for normal 

 children, and in the afternoons only handwork is taken, the 

 girls having sewing and knitting, and the boys cardboard 

 modelling, etc. The maximum number of pupils in any class 

 is 25. " ^ 



Those children who are unfit to work even with the " Spezial- 

 klassen " are received into an institution at some distance from 

 the town. 



A few years ago a new departure was made. For backward 

 girls in the first classes of some of the Primary Schools, who 

 were unable to keep pace w^th the normal class owing to shy- 

 ness, delicate health, etc., " Forderklassen " (advancement 

 classes) were formed. It was intended that in such " Forder- 

 klassen " small numbers and skilful handling should secure 

 the satisfactory progress of these shy, backward pupils. Dur- 

 ing the school year 1906-07 there were 54 pupils in the " For- 

 derklassen," of whom, at the end of the year, 33 were given 

 to the normal classes, 18 were kept for the second grade " For- 

 derklassen," and 3 were sent to the " Spezialklassen." 



As funds are forthcoming, the authorities are gradually 

 extending the system throughout the town. At the beginning" 

 of the school year in April, there were in operation 17 " For- 

 derklassen," distributed amongst five out of the ten Girls' 



