Too few schoolchildren How a village in Vaud is fighting for the survival of its school

The only school in the 460-soul village of Corbeyrier in the canton of Vaud is in danger of closing. The reason: there are too few pupils. But the village sees things differently.

If you grew up in a small village, you may be familiar with the situation: one teacher teaches several classes and different levels. Also known as the multi-grade model.

This has been the case for over 200 years in Corbeyrier, a village of just under 460 souls in the canton of Vaud. But this is now set to end. The reason: there are fewer pupils every year. In two years' time, there will only be seven pupils. That's not enough for the management.

The teacher sees it differently. She has been teaching in the multi-grade model for 15 years. In the SRF program "Schweiz Aktuell", she explains: "The advantage of the model is the interaction and exchange between the different age groups. I notice that there is a lot of mutual help and mutual respect."

"I'm sad and angry that my school is closing"

The mood in the village is sombre because of this. "It's stupid," says one girl. "I'm sad and angry that my school is closing," says a boy.

Frédérique Rebetez, principal, explains the decision as follows: "The low number of pupils was the decisive factor in the decision. The pedagogical reason is also decisive. With a multi-level class, you can no longer guarantee interaction between pupils at the same level. Then there is the financial aspect."

There is also a safety issue. A teacher who has to teach children alone in an isolated village could lead to a problem: "The teacher could faint or a pupil could leave the classroom. How is one person supposed to handle that?" The concerns about safety are not understood in the village. One reason is that the municipal office is located underneath the school. In an emergency, there is always someone nearby.

The community center would be lost due to the closure

"It scares me that the school will have to close," the mayor Monique Tschudi tells SRF. "The heart of the community would no longer exist and the parents, who meet up thanks to the children, would no longer see each other. A lot of things would be lost if the school no longer existed."

A father whose daughter attends the school in Corbeyrier also doesn't understand why people are skeptical about a multi-grade model: "I also went to school here back then and we all became something."