Wiederkehr Announces "Mission German" Ahead of Vienna Election
Despite Vienna's diversity and cosmopolitanism, immigration pushes the boundaries of what is feasible in some aspects, said Deputy Mayor, Christoph Wiederkehr, on Thursday in front of NEOS supporters in Vienna. With the motto "Language, Performance, Integration", he formulated the concern that every child should master German to an extent in the future that enables them to follow the lessons.
"Mission German": Thousands of Volunteers to Help with German Learning in Kindergartens as Reading Mentors
For the "Mission German", Wiederkehr wants to mobilise thousands of volunteers who will support the youngest in kindergartens in acquiring the German language as reading mentors. Because the language immersion among peers, through which the children learn German playfully, often no longer exists due to demographic development. Registration for the action is already possible now, more detailed information will follow in the next few weeks. In addition, the existing language promotion offers in kindergartens are to be further professionalised. In this way, Wiederkehr wants to increase the city's language promotion staff by another 50 in the next few weeks - also through cooperation with external organisations - to reach 500 language promotion staff in the coming kindergarten year.
Wiederkehr Advocates for 30 Hours of Mandatory Attendance and Compulsory Summer Courses
Wiederkehr once again appealed to the federal government to introduce and finance a second mandatory kindergarten year, as one year is not enough to acquire the German language. Changes are also necessary for Wiederkehr in terms of attendance obligations. He advocated for 30 hours per week, as it is not enough if children are brought in at eight o'clock and picked up again before lunch. Children who do not speak sufficient German in the last kindergarten year should also be required to spend four weeks in kindergarten promoting German and preparing for the start of school during the summer holidays. It will also be examined what would be possible here without legal changes by the federal government.
Wiederkehr once again demanded additional teaching posts from the federal government to support extraordinary students who cannot follow the lessons without further assistance due to insufficient German skills. In recent years, the number of these students in Vienna has significantly increased due to family reunifications, but because of the cap, there are no planned positions for 5,000 extraordinary students in Vienna, Wiederkehr criticised. "This is cynical, this is wrong."
Wiederkehr Warns of Blue-Black Coalition in the Federal Government Before Vienna Election
Wiederkehr did not have too high hopes for support from the federal government, once again warning of a possible blue-black coalition in the federal government. He also distanced himself from the planned measures of the "Mission German". While not everything in Vienna is "completely fine", he pointed out an increase in tendencies towards discrimination, anti-Semitism, and increasing conflicts due to cultural or religious affiliation in schools. However, the reaction should not be division or a "return to the past".
With the "Mission German", they instead want to lay a foundation for successful integration and open up a good perspective for the future for every child in Vienna - "without any daydreaming, without any division". Since the beginning of the NEOS participation in government in 2020, more progress has been made in the education and integration sector than ever before, emphasized Wiederkehr, pointing out the expansion of language support and language counselling in kindergartens, German support courses during the summer holidays, or orientation classes for refugees without prior school experience.
(APA/Red)
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