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Courses in native language and culture

In the Basel consular district (the cantons of Baselland, City of Basel, Solothurn, Jura and Aargau), ECAP offers courses in native language and culture (HSK).

To the course leaflet

In the 2025/2026 academic year, ECAP is running the project ‘Italian Language and Culture Courses in North-West Switzerland’, which is 77.74% co-financed by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI).

The courses take place in local schools within the Basel consular district and are run in collaboration with the education department of the Italian Consulate in Basel. The courses make an important contribution to the education and integration of second-, third- and fourth-generation young people. Alongside their compulsory schooling, pupils have the opportunity to learn their mother tongue and gain access to one of the world’s greatest cultural treasures. At the end of the courses, pupils can prepare for the examinations set by the University for Foreigners in Perugia in order to obtain the CELI language certificates.

Further information on the project can be found in the appendices:

Module P3 – Activity plan
Module P4 – Financial plan

You can find more information about the courses and registration on the course website. The courses also have their own Facebook page, where updates on educational activities are posted regularly.

The project «Italian language and culture courses in north-western Switzerland» reached over 1,100 Swiss, Italian and pupils of Italian descent living in the five cantons of the Basel consular district during the 2025/2026 school year, enabling them to acquire and strengthen their multilingualism.

The language and culture of their country of origin are taught in 82 primary-level courses and 25 secondary-level courses. Alongside teaching the Italian linguistic and cultural heritage, these courses enable pupils to gain access to the CELI language certificates, which are offered by ECAP as an examination centre for the Università per stranieri in Perugia.

The HSK courses take place in over 50 state schools and also involve pupils in workshops, projects and extracurricular activities that promote the values of exchange and integration, which are fundamental to personal development. It is therefore not just about grammar, literature, history and geography, but also about plenty of interaction and fun.

When the Italian language and culture become an expression of our pupils’ creativity and imagination, the result is extraordinary and precious. In the 2025/2026 school year, the LICITpupil magazine ‘Eccoci!!!’, written by the primary-level pupils on the ECAP HSK courses, was published once again.

«Eccoci!», meaning «Here we are!», is a project in which all teachers and pupils take part. The aim is to promote the Italian language and culture within the Basel consular district by raising the profile of the LICIT courses. The project also plays an important role in our teaching by encouraging pupils and their parents to continue attending the courses.

Since this year, the history of Italian emigration has been part of the curriculum in Italian schools. The topic was also covered in the HSK courses offered by ECAP. Throughout the school year, secondary-level courses have explored the topic in greater depth through various initiatives, tracing the key stages of Italian migration in Switzerland. The HSK courses on offer, as well as ECAP itself, are important building blocks of this history. This year’s school magazine is entirely dedicated to this topic. Have fun reading it!

Highlights

The highlights show selected ECAP offers and projects in the fields of education, integration and the labour market.

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