Zurich University of Teacher Education - International

04/06/2026

🎉 A milestone moment for REFLECT Phase II!

The last two days our colleagues Corinna Borer and Wiltrud Weidinger held the 7th and final project workshop in Chișinău reflecting on four years of building a stronger feedback culture in Moldovan education. Together with our five partner universities, they reviewed the project’s achievements, discussed sustainability, and started preparations for the final conference.

And the best news? A third phase is already in the making! 🚀

A huge thank you to all partners for their commitment, energy, and collaboration throughout this journey. 🙏

📚 All REFLECT materials are free to use: https://ipe-textbooks.phzh.ch/de/teaching-methods/

📘 More about REFLECT Phase II: https://tiny.phzh.ch/reflect-phase-ii

🌍 Our international projects: https://ipe.phzh.ch

REFLECT Phase II is financially supported by Swiss Development & Cooperation as part of the project Fostering Active Civic Engagement (FACE).

Swiss Cooperation in Moldova
Ministerul Educației și Cercetării al Republicii Moldova
Universitatea Pedagogică de Stat „Ion Creangă” din Chișinău
USARB - Universitatea de Stat „Alecu Russo” din Bălți
Centrul Universitar „Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu” din Cahul
Komrat Devlet Universiteti
Universitatea de Stat din Moldova

27/05/2026

🌍 Greetings from the DEM-ED project out of Prishtina!

Dimitri Buchs and Daniel Sidler from the Pädagogische Hochschule PHBern joined Naser Zabeli at the Fakulteti i Edukimit / Faculty of Education- UP last week to collaborate, learn, and explore historic sites in Kosovo together. They discussed about “memory culture(s)” and its connection to education for democracy and peace.

This is exactly what the Academic Network to Empower Educators for Democracy and Peace (DEM-ED) project is about: Building connections across borders, so that the next generation of teachers can bring democracy and peace into their classrooms — not just as concepts, but as lived values.

👉 Learn more about DEM-ED: https://tiny.phzh.ch/dem-ed

🌐 Explore our international education projects: https://ipe.phzh.ch

DEM-ED is financially supported by SBFI SEFRI SERI.

20/05/2026

✨ Inspiring days for democracy education in Frankfurt!

In late April, Rolf Gollob, professor emeritus at PH Zurich, and Gelly Aroni, from the Greek Ministry of Migration and Asylum, led a hands-on workshop on democratic competencies at the European Erasmus+ Conference, "Skills for the Future: Schools for the Future." The two experts introduced the 50 participants to multilingual teaching materials developed by the Department for International Projects in Education of PH Zurich over the past 10 years in collaboration with teachers and experts from all Council of Europe countries.

The energy was fantastic – and it was a powerful reminder: training is most effective when it's joyful, energetic, and interactive.

📚For teachers, principals and parents looking for practical resources, https://living-democracy.com offers a comprehensive collection of free materials on democracy and human rights in 16 languages.

🔗Find the full presentation of Rolf Gollob and Gelly Aroni at: https://erasmusplus.schule/aktuelles-und-termine/termine/dokumentation/european-conference-skills-for-future-schools-for-future

18/05/2026

🖤 In memory of Basil Schader 🖤

At the Department International Projects in Education (IPE), we are deeply saddened to share the news that our dear former colleague Basil Schader passed away on 10 May, 2026 in Frauenfeld.

Basil joined the Zurich University for Teacher Education (PHZH) in its founding years. A teacher, researcher, and mentor, he dedicated his career to multilingualism, German as a second language, and – with extraordinary passion – to Albanian language and culture. He earned not one but two doctorates, the second in Albanian studies from the University of Tirana. Together with his late wife Erica, he spent decades supporting education in the Albanian community of Balldren.

Basil joined what is now our department in 2008 and worked with us until he retired at the end of 2021. He brought quiet dedication to his work, and an encyclopaedic knowledge he always shared generously. Just a few months ago, we were corresponding about how to support a publication of an Albanian colleague – that was Basil, always ready to assist others.

We are grateful for everything he gave – to his students, his colleagues, and to communities – and we will remember him fondly.

Corinne Pernet for the team at IPE

14/05/2026

🌍 From Zurich to Upper Egypt: Last week, a team from the Department for International Projects in Education, accompanied by a student from the Global Learning elective, visited al-Minya and Cairo as part of the EYRAD project. EYRAD empowers women and youth in rural Egypt through education, life skills, and vocational training. And during our visit, it truly came to life:

✅ Officially launched EYRAD with local civil society partners alongside our project partners Life Vision for development - رؤية حياة للتنمية and الصفحة الرسميه لجامعة اسيوط (Faculty of Education, Assiut University)

✅ Delivered a LILSKILLS model lesson and visited the village of al-Our to see local women trainers teach it themselves

✅ Major steps forward in co-creating the EYRAD Edu-Voc Programme

✅ Visited the inspiring Oasis Project in the Cairo neighbourhood Manshiet Nasr

We thank our partners for their commitment and work – and we look forward to jointly taking the next steps in this important project!

🔎 Explore EYRAD: https://tiny.phzh.ch/eyrad

🌐Discover our international education projects: https://ipe.phzh.ch

EYRAD is financially supported by the Community Fund of the Kanton Zürich, Switzerland.

08/05/2026

🌍 When two countries learn from each other, young people win.

A delegation from the Ukrainian NGO DOCCU completed a three-day study visit in Moldova last week and the insights could shape the futures of thousands of young people across both countries.

Organised as part of the Swiss-Ukrainian Швейцарсько-український проєкт DECIDE project, the visit drew on PH Zurich's transformative JOBS Moldova project (2016–2022). Its core lesson: students need to understand their own skills and interests before choosing a career path. From school visits to business fairs, Moldova built a model that gives inspiration to current education reforms in Ukraine.

Three days. Filled notebooks. And a bus ride home with fresh ideas. 🚌

A heartfelt thank‑you to all partners and teachers in Moldova and Ukraine who made this important exchange possible!

🌐 Explore our international education projects: https://ipe.phzh.ch

DECIDE is financially supported by Swiss Development & Cooperation.

Peer learning is relevant beyond the classroom. Structured exchanges can benefit entire educational systems, as demonstrated by the current visit of a Ukrainian delegation to Moldova to learn about pr

29/04/2026

🎉 Last week we had the privilege of celebrating a very special milestone: The 10th anniversary of TAKT - Together Advancing Common Trust, our partner organisation in North Macedonia!

As part of the Sustainable Democratic Culture (SUDECU) project, we joined TAKT, City-Trainers, the SUDECU group members, as well as two Parents' Circles, for a full-day workshop. Together with Maya Raunik Kirkov, we reflected on our achievements and practised peer-learning communication while Nils Bosshard, a student in our Global Learning elective, supported us in planning the future with elevator pitches. We would like to thank everyone involved for their initiative and commitment.🌱🤝

In 10 years, TAKT has helped communities across North Macedonia to become more democratic and inclusive – through bee hotels, plogging activities and cooking groups. Here's to many more!

👉 Learn more about SUDECU: https://tiny.phzh.ch/sudecu

🌐 Discover our international education projects: https://ipe.phzh.ch

SUDECU is financially supported by the Community Fund of the Kanton Zürich, Switzerland.

23/04/2026

One year of CORE vita and the impact is already being felt.

In 2025, the CORE vita project brought 21 workshops to 11 regions across Italy, from Sicily to Lombardia, from Calabria to Veneto. 275 teachers, educators, and social workers took part and follow-up data shows that 49 of them are already putting their new skills to work with 631 unaccompanied minor refugees.

CORE vita trains professionals to use the free CORE teaching tool (available at https://ipe-textbooks.phzh.ch/de/life-skills/), which helps young refugees explore their strengths, values, emotions, and future career paths in Arabic, Dari, Italian, and English.

In 2026, the project shifts into a new gear: Consolidation and scale-up, with the goal of reaching around 5,000 young people by end of 2027. 💪

The project CORE vita is supported by the second Swiss contribution to selected EU member states and implemented by the Zurich University of Teacher Education in collaboration with the Ambasciata di Svizzera in Italia and the Secrétariat d'État aux migrations SEM.

👉 Learn more about the project: https://tiny.phzh.ch/core-vita

🌐 Discover our international education projects: https://ipe.phzh.ch

16/04/2026

🌟 What if the most powerful learning tool in your classroom… is play?

Research shows that children aged 4 to 8 build critical thinking, emotional resilience, and social skills through free, unstructured play — yet it is still underused in many classrooms.

That's exactly what the PALS project set out to change. Together with partners in Serbia and North Macedonia, the Zurich University of Teacher Education co-developed a free handbook packed with practical tools and frameworks to help educators bring more meaningful play into early years learning.

✅ Available in English, Serbian, Macedonian & Albanian
✅ Officially endorsed by the Serbian Ministry of Education and the University Ss. Cyril and Methodius
✅ Free to download on the IPE-Textbooks platform

Whether you're a teacher, a lecturer, or simply someone who believes children learn best when they're free to explore — this handbook is for you.

👉 Find the PALS handbook on the IPE-Textbooks platform: https://ipe-textbooks.phzh.ch/de/life-skills/

🔍 Find out more about PALS: https://tiny.phzh.ch/pals

🌐 Discover our international education projects: https://ipe.phzh.ch

PALS was financially supported by the Community Fund of the Kanton Zürich, Switzerland.

08/04/2026

What does teaching look like when daily life is shaped by conflict?

Joseph Feghaly, a long‑standing partner of the Zurich University of Teacher Education’s international education projects, speaks in the interview about social and emotional learning and the LIFE project. Next week, he will share perspectives from his work and will provide insights into the current situation in Lebanon during the online event «Living and Learning in a War Zone».

📅 April 15, 2026, 12:15–13:15 CEST
👉 Register now: https://phzh.ch/en/about-phzh/news-events-and-current-topics/events/event/?anlassId=144733510

The LIFE project is supported by the Community Fund of the Canton of Zurich.

Lebanese schoolchildren and teachers are currently facing unprecedented challenges. Joseph Feghaly, a longtime partner in PHZH's international education projects, shares insights into the situation an