Wiederkehr Announces "Mission German" Ahead of Vienna Election
Despite Vienna's diversity and cosmopolitanism, immigration pushes the limits 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 that allows them to follow the curriculum in the future.
"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 children in kindergartens in learning German as reading mentors. Because the language immersion among peers, through which 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 support offers in kindergartens are to be further professionalised. In this way, Wiederkehr wants to increase the city's language support staff by another 50 in the next few weeks - also through cooperation with external organisations - bringing the total to 500 language support staff for 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 year of kindergarten, as one year is not enough to learn German. 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 year of kindergarten should also be required to spend four weeks in kindergarten during the summer holidays before the start of school, receiving German support and preparation for the start of school. It will also be examined what would be possible here without legal changes by the federal government.
Wiederkehr also once again demanded additional teacher positions from the federal government to support extraordinary students who cannot follow the curriculum without further support due to insufficient German skills. In recent years, the number of these students in Vienna has grown significantly due to family reunifications, but due to 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 Black-Blue Coalition in the Federal Government Before Vienna Election
Wiederkehr did not hold out much hope for support from the federal government, once again warning of a possible black-blue coalition at the federal level. He also distanced himself from the planned measures of the "Mission Deutsch". 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 Deutsch", they instead want to lay a foundation for successful integration and give every child in Vienna the chance for a good future perspective - "without daydreaming, without division". Since the beginning of the NEOS government participation 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 advice in kindergartens, German support courses during the summer holidays, or orientation classes for refugees without prior school experience.
Opposition Criticizes Wiederkehr
However, the opposition parties gave Wiederkehr a poor report card. "The Neos have failed in education policy in Vienna," the ÖVP concluded. For example, there are only 300 full-time language support staff for about 16,000 children in need of language support. The city's ÖVP demands, among other things, language proficiency assessment for all three-year-olds, linking kindergarten funding to the quality of German language support, and a language support staff for every kindergarten where there is a need. The Greens, who ruled Vienna together with the SPÖ for ten years before the NEOS, also believe that Wiederkehr has failed to solve the problems in Vienna's kindergartens. He had already promised 500 language support staff in the coalition agreement. To announce a "mission" three months before the election at the end of April is "completely unbelievable". For the Greens, a complete restructuring of language support is necessary, every location with a need requires a language support staff as a continuous part of the team.
(APA/Red)
This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.