Suspension of Vienna Students Without Learning Effect: Reform Demanded
The Deputy Mayor of Vienna and City Councilor for Education, Christoph Wiederkehr (NEOS), sees a need for reform in the suspension of students. "It is an illusion to believe that everything will be fine after a suspension," he said to journalists on Tuesday. A package is needed at the federal level to establish accompanying measures. "Currently, there are no resources on how to work with these students."
Wiederkehr Sees Need for Reform in School Suspensions
In Vienna, the number of suspensions in the first semester of the current school year has decreased again - specifically from 386 to 338 (a twelve percent decrease). This continues the trend: In the entire school year 2022/23, there were 814 suspensions, and in 2023/24, there were 756 (a seven percent decrease). "The suspension has no learning effect," emphasized the Director of Education in Vienna, Elisabeth Fuchs. It is also not a punishment, but a temporary security measure. In most cases, it lasts between two and five days. It is imposed in cases of violence, vandalism, or threats and extortion.
Package of Measures for Violence Prevention
To prevent violence among youth, a package of measures has been put together again, according to Wiederkehr. For example, a program for juvenile repeat offenders who are not of legal age has been developed, which is already in a procurement process. This concerns children under 14 years old who have already committed multiple serious offenses - according to Wiederkehr, around 20 individuals. They are to be supported through a guidance program in close cooperation with the police and child and youth services. Approximately 500,000 euros have been allocated for this.
If the children are with their families, these should also be involved. If they do not cooperate, a custody procedure may ensue. Wiederkehr once again spoke out against prison sentences for minors - "but there need to be consequences".
Cooperation with Derad Association to be Strengthened
As further points, the already existing training program for students who have shown behavior warranting suspension will be financially increased to around 535,000 euros, and cooperation with the Derad Association will be strengthened with additional contingents provided for its utilization. "We see a stronger Salafist online movement that is also affecting the youth," said Wiederkehr. Teachers should be able to contact Derad more frequently so that they are not burdened with these problems themselves, Fuchs stated.
The so-called FiSch (Family in Schools) classes, set up at eight competence centers, will be increased from 100 to 300 places. Temporarily, parents and their children come to these classes to observe their behavior in school. They are then supposed to work together to improve this behavior. At the same time, parents also receive support for parenting at home, according to Fuchs. Such places can be used multiple times a year, as children and parents are only supposed to spend a limited time there.
Vienna's FPÖ education spokesperson Maximilian Krauss criticized the proposed measures as "half-hearted and far too late patchwork". Instead of "multi-million social romantic projects", he once again called for a reduction in the age of criminal responsibility from 14 to twelve years. "Criminal children do not need 'guidance', but clear boundaries," said Krauss, who also demanded "clear disciplinary measures" for suspended students.
(APA/Red)
This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.