OECD Study: Educational Path in Austria Strongly Depends on Parents - Opportunity Bonus for 400 Schools
According to the latest edition of "Education at a Glance," young adults in Austria with at least one parent who is a university graduate currently have almost four times the chance of obtaining a university degree compared to someone whose parents only completed compulsory schooling. Although the figure has slightly decreased since 2012, it is still significantly higher than the OECD average of 2.7. At the same time, the proportion of 18- to 24-year-olds in Austria who are neither in education nor employment has slightly increased to 12.6 percent compared to the previous year.
OECD Study Results: Wiederkehr Wants to Start Early
Wiederkehr saw this as a "political mandate" during a presentation of key OECD study results to journalists on Monday evening, stating that "equal opportunities are currently not ensured." Through an opportunity bonus for primary and middle schools, basic skills such as reading, writing, and arithmetic should be better conveyed in locations with particularly many children with significant support needs and burdens. It is important to start early, emphasized the minister. After all, the problems extend up to the universities.
OECD Education Director Andreas Schleicher also saw the opportunity bonus as a potential lever for better educational outcomes for all students, but emphasized that more money alone does not have a positive effect. It is important, for example, to network with other "more efficient" schools. Another success factor would be to bring the best teachers to the most challenging schools - for example, through attractive career models and a good support network.
65 Million Euros Per Year for Opportunity Bonus at 400 Schools
For the opportunity bonus, the government has allocated 65 million euros per year starting next autumn. The same amount is planned - despite the tight budget - for the following years, as Wiederkehr emphasized. The government program also includes an additional 20 million from 2027, although this is subject to budgetary constraints.
The additional resources will be distributed among the 400 schools based on criteria such as the students' background (first language, education and unemployment of the parents), school size, and type of school. According to the opportunity index of the Chamber of Labor (AK), which targets the criteria of students' language of communication and parents' educational level, there were 510 schools across all types in Austria in the 2022/23 school year facing particularly great challenges, as stated in response to an APA inquiry.
The schools selected for the opportunity bonus will be supported by additional staff in the future, but there is also a focus on school development - for example, through collaboration with different professional groups, exchange, and networks with other schools.
Holzleitner Relies on University Strategy 2040
Meanwhile, Science Minister Eva-Maria Holzleitner (SPÖ) wants to improve social diversity at universities with her University Strategy 2040. At the press event, she also noted a "great need for catching up" among people who do not come from academic households. She also aims to improve the lower graduation rate compared to the OECD - only one-fifth complete their bachelor's degree within the standard period of study, and three years after the end of the standard period, it is only 60 percent. This is to be achieved through targeted study grants for the many students who work extensively alongside their studies, measures for affordable education, and more information about studying even before the Matura.
(APA/Red.)
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