61-533: Mels is a municipality in the Wahlkreis (constituency) of Sarganserland in the Seeztal , canton of St. Gallen , Switzerland . Mels is first mentioned in 765 as Maile though this comes from a later copy of the original document. In 1018 it was mentioned as Meilis . Mels has an area, as of 2006, of 139.2 km (53.7 sq mi). Of this area, 42.6% is used for agricultural purposes, while 29.3%
122-447: A Fachmittelschule ) to study. Switzerland has a high rate of foreign students in tertiary education including one of the highest in the world of doctoral level students. Many Nobel prizes have been awarded to Swiss scientists. More recently Vladimir Prelog , Heinrich Rohrer , Richard Ernst , Edmond Fischer , Rolf Zinkernagel , Didier Queloz , Michel Mayor , Kurt Wüthrich , and Jacques Dubochet have received nobel prizes in
183-477: A certain time in Switzerland are also allowed to participate in municipal politics. As at the cantonal and federal level, citizens enjoy political rights, including direct democratic ones, in their municipality. Municipalities are financed through direct taxes (such as income tax ), with rates varying more or less within a framework set by the canton (see Taxation in Switzerland ). As among the cantons, there
244-404: A couple with children. There were 344 (or 4.4%) people who lived in single parent home, while there are 60 persons who were adult children living with one or both parents, 50 persons who lived in a household made up of relatives, 31 who lived household made up of unrelated persons, and 244 who are either institutionalized or live in another type of collective housing. In the 2007 federal election
305-613: A high rate of international students. In 2013, 16.9% of the total tertiary enrollment in Switzerland came from outside the country, a rate that is the 10th highest of the 291 countries included in the UNESCO Institute for Statistics. This rate was just higher than Austria (16.8) and just lower than the United Kingdom (17.5). However, due to the much smaller tertiary system in Switzerland their 47,000 foreign tertiary enrollments are dwarfed by much larger countries such as
366-457: A minority of cantons), the names of which vary. In the structure with 2 school types, a distinction is made between the performance-based group at basic level (with the least demanding requirements), and the performance-based group at advanced level. In the structure with 3 school types, there is a performance-based group at basic level, a performance-based group at intermediate level and a performance-based group at advanced level. The requirements of
427-627: A period of 2–3 years ( Sekundarschule ) in either Pre-higher secondary school section, General section, or Basic section (Basic may be called Realschule in German or Classe d'exigence de base in French). Students who aspire for an academic career enter Mittelschule (also named Gymnasium , or Kantonsschule , a public school by the canton/state) to be prepared for further studies and the Matura (normally obtained after 12 or 13 years of school usually at
488-475: A vocational high school will often add a Fachhochschule or a Höhere Fachschule to their curriculum. There are 14 public and generic universities in Switzerland, 10 of which are maintained at cantonal level and usually offer a range of non-technical subjects. Of the remaining 4 institutions, 2 are run by the Swiss Confederation and are known as "Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology". Switzerland
549-487: Is 641 people or 8.2% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 415 people or 5.3% are between 70 and 79, there are 262 people or 3.3% who are between 80 and 89, and there are 54 people or 0.7% who are between 90 and 99. In 2000 there were 737 persons (or 9.4% of the population) who were living alone in a private dwelling. There were 1,445 (or 18.4%) persons who were part of a couple (married or otherwise committed) without children, and 4,926 (or 62.9%) who were part of
610-449: Is a tax transfer among the municipalities to balance various levels of tax income. Switzerland has a relatively high number of small municipalities, with a population of 1,000 or less, especially in rural areas. Because of the increasing difficulty in providing professional government services and in finding volunteers for political offices in small municipalities, the cantons tend to encourage voluntary mergers of municipalities. This led to
671-483: Is a third, middle path via the Fachmittelschule which leads to a direct access to a Fachhochschule after a successful graduation of a Fachmatura . In some cantons, students with a Fachmatura may also get access to universities after a successful additional year. In the science literacy assessment of PISA , 15-year-old students in Switzerland had the 16th highest average score of 57 countries. In
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#1732780116135732-744: Is an international assessment of the mathematics and science knowledge of fourth- and eighth-grade students around the world. It was developed by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) to allow participating nations to compare students' educational achievement across borders. In 1995, Switzerland was one of forty-one nations that participated in the study. They did not participate in later studies. Among 8th graders, Switzerland ranked 15th overall, 8th in math and 25th in science. A National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) study that used
793-428: Is five years and three months. After primary schools, the pupils split up according to their abilities and intentions of career paths. Roughly 25% of all students attend lower and upper secondary schools leading, normally after 12 school years in total to the federal recognized matura or an academic Baccalaureate which grants access to all universities. The other students split in two or more school-types, depending on
854-399: Is followed by a four-year cycle primaire 2 or cycle 2 which completes their primary school. The minimum age for primary school is about six years in all cantons but Obwalden , where it is five years and three months. The cantons Thurgau and Nidwalden allow five-year-olds to start primary school in exceptional cases. Primary school continues until grade four, five or six, depending on
915-672: Is forested. Of the rest of the land, 2.6% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (25.5%) is non-productive (rivers or lakes). The municipality is located in the Sarganserland Wahlkreis . In terms of area, it is the largest municipality in the canton and covers the Weisstannen valley and a part of the Seez valley. Northwest of town is Castels hill and west of the Nidberg is Castels fortress. It consists of
976-462: Is required in most cantons. In the Canton of Ticino, an optional, third year is available for three-year-old children. In some German speaking cantons kindergarten and the first one or two years may be combined into a Grundstufe or Basisstufe where they are all taught together in a single class. In French speaking cantons kindergarten is combined into a four-year cycle primaire 1 or cycle 1 which
1037-559: Is used by publications including The Economist . Switzerland was the birthplace of the International Baccalaureate in 1968 and 50 schools in Switzerland offer one or more of the IB programmes (Primary, Middle Years, Diploma and Career-related Programmes). Tertiary education depends on the education chosen in secondary education. For students with a matura , university is the most common one. Apprentices who attended
1098-416: Is very diverse, because the constitution of Switzerland delegates the authority for the school system mainly to the cantons . The Swiss constitution sets the foundations, namely that primary school is obligatory for every child and is free in state schools and that the confederation can run or support universities. The minimum age for primary school is about six years in all cantons but Obwalden , where it
1159-568: Is well known for its advanced business education system. A number of world-class universities and MBA programmes, such as the International Institute for Management Development , HEC Lausanne , University of St. Gallen , Kalaidos FH and University of Zurich belong to that category. All of them are also registered in the Financial Times ranking. See also the list of universities in Switzerland . Switzerland has
1220-809: The Bürgerrecht (citizenship), regardless of where they were born or where they may currently live. Instead of the place of birth , Swiss legal documents, e.g. passports, contain the Bürgerort (place of citizenship, or place of origin ). The Bürgergemeinde also often holds and administers the common property in the village for the members of the community. Each canton determines the powers and responsibilities of its municipalities. These may include providing local government services such as education, medical and social services, public transportation, and tax collection. The degree of centralization varies from one canton to another. The federal constitution protects
1281-580: The cantons , while two federal institutes of technology , ETH in Zürich and EPFL in Lausanne , are under the authority of the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation . In addition, there are seven regional associations of Universities for Applied Sciences ( Fachhochschulen ) which require vocational education and a special Berufsmatura , or a Fachmatura (a graduation by
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#17327801161351342-403: The primary economic sector and about 122 businesses involved in this sector. 722 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 90 businesses in this sector. 1,932 people are employed in the tertiary sector , with 240 businesses in this sector. As of October 2009 the average unemployment rate was 3.0%. There were 458 businesses in the municipality of which 92 were involved in
1403-484: The 20 top labs in the field of AI are located in Switzerland. While compulsory schooling in Switzerland is between 9 and 11 years long, many of the specifics of the system vary by canton. In most cases, kindergarten lasts 1 to 2 years, primary level lasts 6 years, and the lower secondary level 3 years. In Ticino, there is a third, non-mandatory, kindergarten year, primary lasts 5 years, followed by 4 years of lower secondary. In some German speaking cantons kindergarten and
1464-697: The Swiss national languages (as of 2000), 7,114 speak German , 10 people speak French , 169 people speak Italian , and 32 people speak Romansh . The age distribution, as of 2000, in Mels is; 1,073 children or 13.7% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 1,137 teenagers or 14.5% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 1,038 people or 13.2% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 1,300 people or 16.6% are between 30 and 39, 1,028 people or 13.1% are between 40 and 49, and 889 people or 11.3% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution
1525-465: The TIMSS assessment among 12th graders found similar results. The Swiss students were in their upper secondary education and were attending either a gymnasium , general education, teacher training or advanced vocation training. In math, the Swiss scored a 540 (the average score was 500), and were 3rd out of 21. Their science score was 523, which was 8th out of 21. In physics, they scored 488 (the average
1586-505: The United States (740,000), the United Kingdom (416,000), France (228,000) and Germany (196,000). Many international students attend Swiss universities for advanced degrees. In 2013 masters programs enrolled about 27% foreign students (fourth highest rate) and doctoral programs were 52% foreign (second behind Luxembourg). Switzerland also has a high rate of PhD students and inhabitants with doctoral degrees. In 2014 Switzerland had
1647-464: The age of 18 or 19). Students intending to pursue a trade or vocation complete three to four additional years before entering Vocational Educations which are regulated by federal law and are based on a cooperation of private business offering educational job-positions and public schools offering obligatory school-lessons complementary to the on-the-job education. This so-called "dual system" splitting academic and vocational training has its continuation in
1708-403: The autonomy of municipalities within the framework set out by cantonal law. Municipalities are generally governed by an executive council headed by a president or mayor . Legislative authority is exercised by a town meeting of all citizens, or by a municipal parliament, depending on the size of the municipality, and on cantonal and municipal law. In some cantons, foreigners who have lived for
1769-466: The canton, differing in the balance between theoretical and practical education. It is obligatory for all children to attend school for at least 9 years. The first university in Switzerland was founded in 1460 in Basel , with a faculty of medicine. This place has a long tradition of chemical and medical research in Switzerland. In total, there are 12 Universities in Switzerland ; ten of them are managed by
1830-528: The core classes are mixed). The integrated model does not use different school types or core classes. Pupils with different performance levels attend the same class and mixing is maintained. In certain subjects, teaching occurs on differentiated requirement-based levels. As of March 2016, the International Schools Consultancy (ISC) listed Switzerland as having 103 international schools. ISC defines an 'international school' in
1891-724: The exercise of political rights for everyone except the members of the Bürgergemeinde . In the Regeneration era (1830–1848), the liberal revolutions of the common people helped to restore some rights again in a few cantons. In other cantons, the Bürgergemeinden were able to maintain power as political communities. In the city of Zürich it was not until the Municipal Act of 1866 that the political municipality came back into existence. The relationship between
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1952-435: The final year of primary school, some cantons have an exam in second semester and continuous evaluation in both first and second semesters. In some cases, parents or legal guardians of the child are also asked for their recommendations (see Indicator C below) along with a self-evaluation done by the child. Parents' recommendation in combination with child's self-evaluation is called the third indicator (Indicator C) for evaluating
2013-507: The first one or two years may be combined into a Grundstufe or Basisstufe where they are all taught together in a single class. In the French speaking cantons (FR, GE, JU, NE, VD, VS) kindergarten is combined with primary to create 2 primary levels, each 4 years long. In 17 cantons, it is compulsory to attend pre-school. In almost all cantons, the municipalities are obliged to provide at least one year of pre-school classes. This table shows
2074-494: The following terms "ISC includes an international school if the school delivers a curriculum to any combination of pre-school, primary or secondary students, wholly or partly in English outside an English-speaking country, or if a school in a country where English is one of the official languages, offers an English-medium curriculum other than the country’s national curriculum and is international in its orientation." This definition
2135-605: The higher education system. While the academic training leads to the matura and free admission to universities, successfully completed vocational education gives access to third level of practical education, the Höhere Fachschule (Schweiz) . If in addition to the vocational training the Berufsmaturitätsschule is completed the Fachhochschule may be visited instead. Rather recently introduced
2196-482: The highest education level completed by 1,853 people (23.6% of the population) was Primary , while 2,780 (35.5%) have completed their secondary education, 586 (7.5%) have attended a Tertiary school, and 355 (4.5%) are not in school. The remainder did not answer this question. The historical population is given in the following table: The municipality is located on the A3 motorway . The A3 national motorway ends at Mels;
2257-632: The highest rate of inhabitants (2.98%) with doctoral degrees in the world. In 2010, with 2.5%, Switzerland had the second-highest rate of inhabitants with doctoral degrees in Europe. In 2008, the number of students graduating with a PhD was 3209 (up from 2822 in 2000) of which 45% were foreigners (up from 31% in 2000). In 1995 Switzerland took part in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) assessment. TIMSS
2318-577: The lower second level, there are several different teaching and school models that may exist. Some cantons define a specific model, while others allow the individual municipalities to determine which model to follow. Pupils are allocated to institutionally separate school types, according to their performance levels. The structure is based on the principle of equal capacities among pupils. Generally, each school type has its own adapted curricula, teaching material, teachers and, in some cases, its own range of subjects. In general, there are 2 to 3 school types (4 in
2379-659: The lowest level of administrative division in Switzerland. Each municipality is part of one of the Swiss cantons , which form the Swiss Confederation . In most cantons, municipalities are also part of districts or other sub-cantonal administrative divisions. There are 2,131 municipalities as of January 2024 . Their populations range between several hundred thousand ( Zürich ), and a few dozen people ( Kammersrohr , Bister ), and their territory between 0.32 km² ( Rivaz ) and 439 km² ( Scuol ). The beginnings of
2440-584: The modern municipality system date back to the Helvetic Republic . Under the Old Swiss Confederacy , citizenship was granted by each town and village to only residents. These citizens enjoyed access to community property and in some cases additional protection under the law. Additionally, the urban towns and the rural villages had differing rights and laws. The creation of a uniform Swiss citizenship, which applied equally for citizens of
2501-611: The most popular party was the SVP which received 43.9% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the CVP (26.5%), the FDP (10.4%) and the SP (10.2%). In Mels about 65.5% of the population (between age 25–64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule ). Out of the total population in Mels, as of 2000,
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2562-471: The municipalities under cantonal or federal law. Municipalities are numbered by the Swiss Federal Office for Statistics (see Community Identification Number#Switzerland ). One or more postal codes (PLZ/NPA) can by assigned to a municipality or shared with other municipalities. Between 2011 and 2021 nine of the smallest municipalities merged into others as part of the effort to eliminate
2623-436: The number of municipalities dropping by 384 between the end of 2010 and the beginning of 2019. Some municipalities designate themselves as "city" ( ville or Stadt ) or as "village" ( Dorf ). These designations result from tradition or local preference – for example, several small municipalities designated as cities held city rights in medieval times – and normally do not impact the legal or political rights or obligations of
2684-533: The old towns and their tenants and servants, led to conflict. The wealthier villagers and urban citizens held rights to forests, common land and other municipal property which they did not want to share with the "new citizens", who were generally poor. The compromise solution, which was written into the municipal laws of the Helvetic Republic, is still valid today. Two politically separate but often geographically similar organizations were created. The first,
2745-422: The performance-based group at advanced level are the most demanding and this school type generally prepares pupils for transfer to the matura schools. The cooperative model is based on core classes with different performance requirements. Each pupil is assigned to a core class according to his or her performance level. The pupils attend lessons in certain subjects in differentiated requirement-based groups (whereby
2806-408: The political municipality and the Bürgergemeinde was often dominated by the latter's ownership of community property. Often the administration and profit from the property were totally held by the Bürgergemeinden , leaving the political municipality dependent on the Bürgergemeinde for money and use of the property. It was not until the political municipality acquired rights over property that served
2867-447: The political voting and electoral body rights from the Bürgergemeinde . In the cities, the percentage of members in the Bürgergemeinde in the population was reduced as a result of increasing emigration to the cities. This led to the Bürgergemeinde losing its former importance to a large extent. However, the Bürgergemeinde has remained, and it includes all individuals who are citizens of the Bürgergemeinde , usually by having inherited
2928-454: The population was made up of foreign nationals. Of the foreign population, (as of 2000), 30 are from Germany , 228 are from Italy , 563 are from ex- Yugoslavia , 21 are from Austria , 90 are from Turkey , and 144 are from another country. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 7.4%. Most of the population (as of 2000) speaks German (90.8%), with Albanian being second most common ( 2.5%) and Italian being third ( 2.2%). Of
2989-724: The population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), 228 (or about 2.91% of the population) belong to no church, are agnostic or atheist , and 212 individuals (or about 2.71% of the population) did not answer the question. Mels was one of the locations in the Swiss-Austrian film Akte Grüninger . People who were born or live in Mels: Municipalities of Switzerland Municipalities ( German : Gemeinden , Einwohnergemeinden or politische Gemeinden ; French : communes ; Italian : comuni ; Romansh : vischnancas ) are
3050-540: The population) who belong to the Christian Catholic faith, there are 144 individuals (or about 1.84% of the population) who belong to the Orthodox Church, and there are 49 individuals (or about 0.63% of the population) who belong to another Christian church. There is 1 individual who is Jewish , and 417 (or about 5.32% of the population) who are Muslim . There are 65 individuals (or about 0.83% of
3111-591: The portion north toward St. Margrethen and the portion east toward Landquart , Chur , San Bernardino and ultimately Bellinzona are all part of the A13 national motorway. Castels hill (which has been occupied from prehistory until the Middle Ages ) and the early medieval church of St. Peter und Paul, are listed as Swiss heritage sites of national significance . As of 2007, Mels had an unemployment rate of 0.82%. As of 2005, there were 330 people employed in
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#17327801161353172-507: The public (such as schools, fire stations, etc.) and taxes, that they obtained full independence. For example, in the city of Bern, it was not until after the property division of 1852 that the political municipality had the right to levy taxes. It was not until the Federal Constitution of 1874 that all Swiss citizens were granted equal political rights on local and Federal levels. This revised constitution finally removed all
3233-424: The school system for 2017/2018 and how the lower secondary schools are organized: During the 2008/09 school year there were 1,502,257 students in the entire Swiss educational system. In kindergarten or pre-school, there were 152,919 students (48.6% female). These students were taught by 13,592 teachers (96.0% female) in 4,949 schools, of which 301 were private schools. There were 777,394 students (48.6% female) in
3294-411: The school/canton. Any child can take part in school if they choose to, but pupils are separated depending on whether they speak French, German or Italian. At around age 11–12, depending on which canton in Switzerland the child goes to school in, there could be a screening exam to decide how to separate the students for secondary school. Some cantons have a system of examination in the second semester of
3355-1365: The sciences. In total, 113 Nobel Prize winners stand in relation to Switzerland and the Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded nine times to organizations residing in Switzerland. Geneva hosts the world's largest particle physics laboratory, the CERN . Other important research centers are the Empa and Paul Scherrer Institute which belong to the ETH domain. The obligatory school system usually includes primary education ( Primarschule in German , école primaire in French , scuola primaria / elementare in Italian and scola primara in Romansh ) and secondary education I ( Sekundarschule or Sekundarstufe I in German, secondaire I in French and scuola secondaria / media in Italian and scola secundar in Romansh). Before that, children generally go to Kindergarten , with one or two years
3416-511: The secondary sector of the economy while 249 were involved in the third. As of 2000 there were 1,676 residents who worked in the municipality, while 2,270 residents worked outside Mels and 1,457 people commuted into the municipality for work. From the 2000 census, 6,089 or 77.7% are Roman Catholic , while 625 or 8.0% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church . Of the rest of the population, there are 7 individuals (or about 0.09% of
3477-552: The smallest communities. Only Bister has not merged into a new municipality although the smallest municipality is now Kammersrohr with a population of just 32. In addition to the municipalities as basic territorial political subdivisions, a number of other local subdivisions exist in several cantons. These include: Education in Switzerland#Tertiary The education system in Switzerland
3538-677: The so-called municipality, was a political community formed by election and its voting body consists of all resident citizens. However, the community land and property remained with the former local citizens who were gathered together into the Bürgergemeinde /bourgeoisie. During the Mediation era (1803–1814), and especially during the Restoration era (1814–1830), many of the gains toward uniform citizenship were lost. Many political municipalities were abolished and limits were placed on
3599-534: The student, the first being teacher's evaluation (Indicator A), the second the results of tests (Indicator B) held in first semester. The fourth criterion is the final exam that takes place in the middle of the second semester of the final year primary school (usually held before Easter Break). At the end of primary school (or at the beginning of secondary school), pupils are separated (see Indicator C for Fribourg under Primary School) according to their capacities and career-intentions in several (often three) sections for
3660-507: The village of Mels, the settlements of Heiligkreuz bei Mels, Plons, Ragnatsch, the hamlets of Butz, St. Martin, Mädris and Tils, the alpine settlement of Vermol as well as the Walser villages of Schwendi and Weisstannen. Chapfensee is a reservoir located in the municipality. The blazon of the municipal coat of arms is Azure two Keys Or in saltire. Mels has a population (as of 31 December 2020) of 8,716. As of 2007, about 14.4% of
3721-444: Was 501) and were tied for 9th place out of 16. The advanced mathematics score was 533 which was 3rd out of 16. The World Economic Forum 's Global Competitiveness Report for 2010-11 ranked Switzerland as first overall. Under the fifth pillar of the report, Higher education and training , the Swiss had a score of 5.79, which is the fourth highest among all the countries surveyed. According to one EPFL source, globally, 4 out of
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