Recently, thousands of additional students, many without school experience, have joined Vienna's compulsory schools through family reunification from Syria. In the school year 2022/23, there were around 1,300, in 2023/24 around 3,200, and by February 2024/25, 2,300. In addition to more educational offerings, additional school space was also needed for them, with 45 mobile classrooms recently being established. In terms of space shortage, a halt to family reunification would only provide temporary relief, according to the education directorate.

Even if the government were to temporarily suspend family reunification as planned, it would only "temporarily relieve" the school space situation in Vienna, according to a statement to the APA. As Vienna continues to grow, additional classes are still needed. Measures such as Vienna's plan to reduce class sizes in regions with more than 25 students per class, or the approval of an optional 11th and 12th school year for young people with disabilities, would also lead to the need for more school places.

Demand for Space in Vienna's Schools Remains High

Even independent of family reunification, the number of compulsory school students (especially in primary and middle schools) in Vienna has increased more sharply in recent years than before, with almost a five percent increase from 2021/22 to 2022/23, and nearly four percent in each of the following two years. Between 2015 and 2024, more than 25,000 compulsory school students have been added in the growing city. To meet the demand, 1,200 new school classes have been created according to the education directorate.

Due to international crises such as the refugee movement or the Ukraine war and political decisions like the establishment of separate German support classes, even more additional classrooms had to be created according to the education directorate, so that children and young people can get a school place close to home and classes do not become too large.

The potential for free places is "already exhausted or still limited," which is why mobile classrooms - commonly known as containers - have recently been set up. These were by no means "unnecessarily erected," emphasized the education directorate, referring to media reports about partially underutilized container locations. Like new school locations, the mobile classrooms are designed to "grow" and are not fully occupied so that a new cohort can be admitted each school year. After four years, they are then fully utilized.

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.