Posts for German Language Support in Schools to be Increased

The federal government is, as announced, investing significantly more money in German language support in schools. With the coming school year, the corresponding teaching positions will more than double from 577 to 1,324. The previous cap, which prevented all children from receiving support when needed, will be removed. The resources will be adjusted to the demand each school year, as Education Minister Christoph Wiederkehr (NEOS) emphasized at a press conference on Friday.

Wiederkehr is implementing exactly the model he had so vehemently demanded from the Ministry of Education during his time as Vienna's City Councilor for Education. "I always felt it was unfair that there was this cap, meaning that not every child is valued equally, not every child can be equally supported, and thus the problem is simply passed on to the schools." This will finally be resolved with this package.

Significant Increase in Vienna

The new model ensures that there are more resources in the long term where the challenges are particularly great. For schools, it also brings more planning security because previous, partially temporary programs like the special funds for Ukrainian students are permanently integrated into it.

According to Wiederkehr, all federal states will benefit from the innovation, with the increase being particularly large in states with many extraordinary students. In Upper Austria, for example, there will be 237 positions for German language support starting in the fall (previously 78), in Vienna 521 (previously 231). The additional positions should enable schools to have, for example, double staffing or support in smaller groups.

Millions for German Language Support

In total, 108 million euros will be invested in school-based German language support in the coming school year, which is 62 million euros more than before. The fact that this is happening despite the tight budget shows the importance that education holds for the federal government. After all, without good German skills, integration cannot function, and language is also the key to a self-determined and successful life.

The number of extraordinary students whose German is not sufficient to follow regular classes has increased significantly nationwide in compulsory schools and especially in urban areas. Since 2021, there has been an increase of 54 percent to 48,400, with 23 percent of first-grade primary school students needing German language support.

Reference to Teacher Shortage

"That is clearly too much, so it is necessary to start a catch-up race now." Finding the teaching staff needed for the expansion of German support will certainly be a challenge. "It won't be easy, we are still in times of teacher shortages."

In parallel with the additional teaching positions, Wiederkehr also wants to strengthen accompanying measures. For example, there should be more offers for German as a second or foreign language in teacher training, and the MIKA-D test, which decides on the allocation to a German support class, should be made more accurate.

"Deceptive Package", "Drop in the Ocean"

The Greens generally rated the increase in funds and the distribution between the federal states according to actual needs positively. However, education spokeswoman Sigrid Maurer saw a "deceptive package" because the previous temporary special packages of the black-green predecessor government for Ukrainian refugees and family reunification, amounting to almost 60 million euros, are included in it. "If the previous Ukraine aid is now rebranded as dedicated German support positions, not a single teacher will be in the classroom," said Maurer.

The teachers' union does not understand this accusation. With the special funds, a total of 815 positions were reached, and now it is supposed to be 1,324. "I can't quite understand where the deceptive package is supposed to be," said the top representative of compulsory school teachers, Paul Kimberger (FCG), to APA. It is also crucial that the additional positions are now supposed to come sustainably until 2029 and not temporarily. He also welcomed the fact that the funds will be allocated according to specific needs in the future. Now the corresponding personnel must be found, and additional language support measures are needed in the preschool area and in families. "The school alone will not be able to achieve this."

Given the many students in need of German support, the funds are "just a drop in the ocean" as long as the causes are not addressed, demanded FPÖ education spokesman Hermann Brückl for a "comprehensive immigration stop." Without the appropriate teachers, the German offensive will also have no positive effects.

The Chamber of Labor, on the other hand, spoke in a statement of an important step towards effective German support. "Now it is about filling these positions and giving schools the autonomy to use this staff flexibly according to the needs at the location," said Ilkim Erdost, head of the education department of the AK Vienna. For the Federation of Austrian Industries (IV), more support positions and enhanced teacher training in this area are "central steps to sustainably strengthen integration, language skills, and educational opportunities." However, the implementation will largely depend on whether enough qualified teaching staff is available.

Voices from Vienna

And also from Vienna, where the parties are in the election campaign before the election on April 27, there were statements. The education spokesman of the Vienna SPÖ, Jörg Neumayer, praised the package as "implementation of long-standing demands of the Vienna Social Democrats." Under the black-blue federal government, the German support positions throughout Austria were massively cut, and thus precisely by those parties that are now criticizing the German problems of students in Vienna. The Vienna ÖVP education spokesman Harald Zierfuß also described the expansion of German support as "important and correct." However, the Vienna schools must now repair what SPÖ and NEOS have neglected in the kindergarten area in terms of German support for years.

(APA/Red)

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