On 4 September 2011, the people of Vaud settled one of the fiercest education debates in their recent history. The ballot pitted two opposing texts against each other: the « École 2010 – Sauver l'école » initiative, which sought to keep a three-track selection at secondary level and put renewed emphasis on grades and frontal teaching; and a counter-project from the Grand Council, the new Compulsory Education Act (LEO).
Voters rejected the initiative by 55.4% No and accepted the LEO by 52% of the vote. Turnout was around 40%. The path championed by the authorities — notably Socialist State Councillor and education minister Anne-Catherine Lyon — thus prevailed.
The LEO abolished the secondary school's third track, the « Voie secondaire à options » (VSO), seen as stigmatising, replacing it with a two-track system — a pre-gymnasium track (VP) and a general track (VG) with ability levels. It also moved years 7-8 to primary level and implemented the inter-cantonal HarmoS concordat. The text came into force for the 2013 school year.
▲ Yes — 52% The LEO (the authorities' counter-project) was accepted by 52% of the vote. The two-track reform backed by the Council of State prevailed. | ▼ No — 48% The « École 2010 » initiative, which defended keeping three selective tracks, was rejected by 55.4% of voters. Turnout about 40%. |
Actors and personalities
▲ Yes camp (LEO) • Anne-Catherine Lyon (SP), education minister • The Council of State and the Grand Council majority • The Socialist Party, the Greens and part of the centre • Several teachers' and parents' associations favourable to HarmoS harmonisation | ▼ No camp (École 2010 initiative) • The « Sauver l'école » committee, behind the initiative • The Vaud SVP and part of the FDP/PLR • Circles attached to selection in three tracks and to grades • Part of the secondary teaching staff |
Arguments and verdicts
▲ Arguments FOR (Yes camp) Two permeable tracks beat three stigmatising ones « End the track that brands pupils. » — LEO supporters Verdict : ✓ Confirmed. The VSO was abolished; the two-track system (VP and VG with levels), with reorientation possible mid-cycle, came into force in 2013 and has worked since. Ten-year reviews confirm greater permeability between tracks and the disappearance of the most devalued one. Source : Canton of Vaud; 24 heures, 2023 Harmonising Vaud's schools with the rest of Switzerland (HarmoS) « Joining the Swiss education area. » Verdict : ✓ Confirmed. The LEO implemented HarmoS: schooling from age 4, years 7-8 attached to primary, earlier grades and earlier language learning. The canton aligned with the inter-cantonal structure, with no return to the old model. Source : Canton of Vaud, compulsory schooling pathway A people-approved compromise rather than a step backwards « Reasonable reform against nostalgia. » Verdict : ✓~ Mostly confirmed. The LEO held: no repeal, a stable structure since 2013. But debates over orientation and pupil workload persist, and a ten-year review was requested in the Grand Council. The text became a lasting fixture while remaining the subject of regular pedagogical discussion. Source : Vaud Grand Council, Induni postulate, 2022 | ▼ Arguments AGAINST (No camp) Abolishing the VSO will level the school down « Without clear tracks, everyone is dragged down. » — « Sauver l'école » committee Verdict : ✗~ Largely disproven. No mass levelling was documented: the ability-level system retains differentiation in French, mathematics and German. Criticism of orientation persists, but the feared general collapse in standards did not occur. Source : 24 heures, ten-year review, 2023 Top pupils will be held back without three tracks or grade primacy « The best are being sacrificed. » Verdict : ✗~ Mostly disproven. The pre-gymnasium track (VP) remains demanding and leads to the gymnasium; numbers and matriculation success rates did not collapse. The excellence track was preserved in another form, contradicting the scenario of held-back top pupils. Source : Canton of Vaud, school statistics The reform will disorganise Vaud's schools « It is programmed chaos. » Verdict : ✗ Disproven. The 2013 rollout happened without major disorganisation; Vaud's schools absorbed the transition. The predicted chaos scenario did not materialise. Source : Canton of Vaud; cantonal press |
Factual record
More than ten years on, the LEO has held: the two-track structure has been in place since 2013, HarmoS is applied, and no repeal has undone the reform. The initiative camp's fears — levelling down, sacrificing the best, school chaos — did not materialise, even if pedagogical debates over orientation remain lively.
3→2 secondary tracks (VSO abolished) | 52% Yes to the LEO | 55.4% No to the « École 2010 » initiative | 2013 reform came into force |
On 4 September 2011, the people of Vaud preferred negotiated reform to militant nostalgia. By rejecting the « École 2010 » initiative and accepting the LEO, they endorsed the shift from three tracks to two and full entry into HarmoS.
In practice, the authorities' bet paid off: the reform took hold, the most stigmatising track disappeared and the excellence path was preserved in another form. The prophecies of chaos and levelling down did not come true.
Still, the LEO did not end Vaud's school debate: ten years later, questions of orientation, ability levels and pupil workload continue to occupy the Grand Council. The reform changed the architecture, not Vaud's passion for its schools.