German in Schools: This is What the Viennese FPÖ Demands
Specifically, parents in public and private educational institutions should be asked whether so-called extraordinary students should be better distributed across the educational institutions. In Vienna, the proportion of children who cannot adequately follow the lessons due to lack of language skills is high.
Education City Councillor Christoph Wiederkehr (NEOS) has been sounding the alarm for some time now due to the current figures. At the start of school, the proportion of first graders in Vienna was about 44 percent. According to the Ministry of Education, the figures are also high nationwide. The demands he has raised - such as a second mandatory kindergarten year or the possibility of prescribing summer German courses - Wiederkehr is currently also bringing into the coalition negotiations at the federal level, as he recently reported.
FPÖ: Demand for Survey
The situation varies from school to school. In Vienna, the proportion of extraordinary students in the inner-city districts is comparatively low. Larger area districts, where many new apartments are also being built, are more affected. Vienna's FPÖ state party leader Dominik Nepp now advocates asking parents about a possible distribution key, as he explained to the APA.
The survey should not be binding, but "opinion-forming", he emphasized. It should be asked, for example, whether there is generally a willingness to admit at locations. "In Margareten, almost 75 percent of first graders do not speak sufficient German to be able to follow the lessons. The same is true in Ottakring and Rudolfsheim-Fünfhaus, where it is over 60 percent. On the other hand, in the inner districts of Mariahilf, Neubau and Josefstadt, but also in the green-governed district of Währing, comparatively fewer children cannot speak German when they start school," Nepp pointed out.
Vienna with Free School Choice
In Vienna, there is free school choice. They do not want to demand a key, the FPÖ stated. They are against fixed quotas. However, it should be determined whether there is a "basic willingness" also among the residents of "Bobo" districts to ensure a better distribution. "It would only be logical that this group in particular proves to be very receptive when their children attend a common class with the non-German speaking children and thus possibly contribute to successful integration," Nepp found. In view of the "hypocrisy" of some groups, it would not be surprising in Nepp's opinion if the self-interests of these parents were to take precedence.
The NEOS pointed out in a reaction that "symbolic politics" does not do justice to real challenges. Such proposals would only delay necessary measures, the pink city club chairwoman Bettina Emmerling found in a reaction. Targeted support is needed directly at the local schools.
"Our responsibility as a city is to promote children on site and offer sustainable solutions, rather than exposing children to unnecessary burdens. The idea that the school bus picks up children from Favoriten, Margareten or Ottakring and sends them to other districts is not a solution," she was convinced. She referred to measures already underway, such as the expansion of summer German courses or the introduction of orientation classes.
(APA/Red)
This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.