Social issues

A moratorium on digitalisation in schools and daycare centres!

Reason: Declining learning performance, negative health, psychological and social effects

Press release by the “Society for Education and Knowledge”*

(14 December 2023) (Frankfurt am Main, 22 November 2023) More than 40 leading scientists from various disciplines have joined forces with paediatricians and adolescent physicians to call for a moratorium on digitalisation in schools and pre-school educational institutions.

Among the first signatories are leading experts such as Professor Klaus Zierer (University of Augsburg), Professor Manfred Spitzer (Ulm University Hospital) and Professor Thomas Fuchs (Jaspers Chair at the University of Heidelberg) as well as media educator Professor Ralf Lankau (Offenburg University of Applied Sciences).

WHO Reform

“The WHO has fuelled fears among the population”

Interview with Pietro Vernazza* conducted by Peter Kuster**

(14 December 2023) For infectiologist Pietro Vernazza, it is crucial that Switzerland can continue to pursue an independent and evidence-based health policy in future crises. The planned pandemic treaty with the WHO must not restrict our country in this respect.

“Open discourse is the central pillar of a free society”

The Westminster Declaration against censorship

(7 December 2023) We write as journalists, artists, authors, activists, technologists, and academics to warn of increasing international censorship that threatens to erode centuries-old democratic norms.

Coming from the left, right, and centre, we are united by our commitment to universal human rights and freedom of speech, and we are all deeply concerned about attempts to label protected speech as ‘misinformation’, ‘disinformation,’ and other ill-defined terms.

The price of climate alarmism

“Climate fear” is not the way to a better world

by Michael Klein,* Germany

(23 November 2023) Many activists and politicians believe they have to scare people in order to stop global warming. This has massive mental consequences, especially for the younger generation.

Switzerland

The malaise of school reforms

Interventions at the heart of school

by Christine Staehelin,* Basel

(1 November 2023) In her article Christine Staehelin, a primary school teacher with a degree in education, deals with the insufficient justifiability of many reforms and analyses the serious consequences with trenchant precision.

Swiss school system at the limit – everyone is losing out

Personal report of a teacher

by Vanessa Pestalozzi,* Switzerland

(18 October 2023) A lot of time and money, energy and personnel are invested in integrating children with behavioural problems or special needs in schools. A whole army of professionals takes care of them. For children without special needs and without behavioural problems, there is not much time and energy left; integration “at any price” is usually at their expense. And at the expense of teachers who coordinate the special settings.