Working at SERI: Didier Curty

What do you do exactly?

I'm in charge of Swiss Baccalaureate Examinations for the French-speaking part of Switzerland. Twice a year, around 500 examinees sit the exam at French-speaking universities or at the EPFL. For each session, we call on more than 150 teachers from all baccalaureate schools in the French-speaking cantons of Switzerland to act as examiners. They draft and correct written tests, and also conduct oral tests. We also rely on around fifty active or retired rectors as expert advisers to help examinees during their oral tests.

What do you like about your work in particular?

Preparing for these sessions takes five months and involves a great deal of work. It's hard but relatively self-directed and predictable work. However, during the examination session, which lasts about a month, we move the secretariat and are in the thick of things. Every day is like a bustling beehive, and we have to make sure that everything runs smoothly, that processes are properly implemented and that a thousand little unforeseen problems are resolved. It's always an exciting time.

What challenges do you expect in the near future?

A new ordinance on the recognition of baccalaureate certificates has recently come into effect. Under the supervision of the Swiss Baccalaureate Commission (SBC), we will now adjust our rules to keep pace with the changes demanded by the cantons. We have also been focusing on the challenges facing schools in general: how do we prevent examinees from writing their Baccalaureate essay using ChatGPT or other AI tools? How do we address developmental or learning difficulties and ensure fair examinations? We need to find answers to these and many other questions.