The Case: What on earth is “Platzgen” ? – A Swiss precision throwing sport: part pétanque, part strength training, which is played with a heavy pointed metal throwing disc. The Commentary: Platzgen is a traditional Swiss precision sport, particularly popular in the German-speaking part of Switzerland with around 50 active…

The Case: Delve into the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2027, which assess universities worldwide based on their teaching, research, international outlook as well as their industry engagement. The Commentary: The University of Oxford has managed to defend its top title, while Asian universities, particularly Chinese and Singaporean…

The Case: Teacher shortages have been putting the longer the more pressure on education systems across the OECD. The Commentary: The OECD’s annual Education at a Glance examined education systems across the OECD’s 38 Member countries, as well as the ones in Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, China, Croatia, India, Indonesia, Peru,…

The Case: Switzerland won 12 medals at WorldSkills 2026. The Commentary: The SwissSkills National Team has wrapped up WorldSkills 2026 in Shanghai with an impressive 12 medals – four gold, two silver and six bronze. Switzerland finished third in the overall rankings, making it the most successful European nation at…

The Case: AI models are developed at the experimental frontier in labs via the process of recursive self-development (R.S.I.). In order to maintain human control over AI it is important to know what is happening when boundaries are tested, because once R.S.I. takes off, humanity will be less capable of…

The Case: As AI is increasing the risk for young children to skip important steps in their education, Norway decided to put in place several bans on the use of AI at schools. The Commentary: In Norway, children aged 6 to 13 (from first to seventh grade) must not, as…

The Case: Moments that many regard as the height of happiness are, for some philosophers, merely fleeting episodes of pleasure. Once they fade, the restless mind begins reaching again for new goals, experiences and distractions. The Commentary: For Schopenhauer, many of the experiences commonly associated with happiness – travelling, golden…

The Case: The longer the more Swiss companies are concerned about apprentices’ gaps in basic skills, particularly in writing and mathematics. The Commentary: A recent survey of nearly 3,000 companies found that three out of four provide additional tutoring, which creates significant costs and demands, especially for smaller businesses. As…

The Case: Reading and mathematics performance have nosedived across OECD countries. The Commentary: PISA 2025 highlights two priorities: Strengthening foundational skills and ensuring that digital technologies as well as AI are used purposefully and in moderation.

The Case: In the second quarter of 2026, the total employment in Switzerland, excluding agriculture, increased by 2.0 % compared with the same quarter of the previous year. The Commentary: On a seasonally adjusted basis, employment rose by 0.5 % compared with the previous quarter, while companies reported 2.7 %…