Die Industrial eater have had their own Education Departmentand for good reason: Industrial and commercial companies are increasingly complaining about the skills and knowledge of their new apprentices. This is no wonder, as it has been known for decades that around 20 percent, or one in five, leave compulsory school without being able to read with comprehension.
Tuesday evening there was a rare opportunity to discuss the Education spokespersons of all five parliamentary parties on the question of what to do next.
„Education is the decisive lever for securing long-term growth and innovation“, summed up IV Secretary General Christoph Neumayer He summed up the issue and gave the politicians his three most important demands: a nationwide quality framework law for all kindergartenswhich the turquoise-green coalition has announced but not implemented. Then all pupils up to the eighth grade with practical basic skills including a sound Economic educationAnd Neumayer called for a better integration through educationwhich must begin in kindergarten and extend throughout the entire school system.
What was striking was a broad consensus among red, green and pink on issues such as the expansion of all-day schools or the proposal to increase those up to 500 Sschools with the greatest social challenges (according to an index – created by the Chamber of Labour – based on income, education and language skills of the parents) to promote more specificallyA corresponding pilot project is currently underway, but only for one hundred schools. It is not known which ones these are.
All MPs were asked two questions to answer in a keynote speech. These are the questions – and the answers.
Rudolf Taschner, ÖVP
What would be feasible and capable of consensus?
“We want to strengthen the training of skilled workers. We always talk about deficits, but we also have to show the positives. And the best schools are the vocational schools, especially in the dual system. We have a lot to show for ourselves and excellent schools. At the World Skills Championships we show that we win a lot of gold medals. I would focus on that, also for a thriving economy.”
What would you implement immediately as a minister?
“Give schools and teachers more leeway and more autonomy, also by relieving teachers of bureaucratic tasks. This simply requires a lot more trust rather than control in school operations. Schools know what they need and what they can do best, and that applies to all schools. That would also make the teaching profession more interesting and attractive.”
Petra Tanzler, SPÖ
What would be feasible and capable of consensus?
“A nationwide expansion of integrated and open all-day schools with healthy, hot lunches for all children, as an option for families. And the school should not cost anything, that’s actually written into our law, but unfortunately that’s not the case.”
What would you implement immediately as minister?
“We immediately need multi-professional teams that can quickly intervene in problems at schools, with social workers and school psychologists. At the moment it takes months for help to arrive. We also want a school where there is tutoring on site, because the costs of private tutoring are enormous. We want a legal right to an 11th and 12th school year for children with special educational needs. And we want to implement needs-based and fair funding for problem schools based on the Chamber of Labor’s opportunity index.”
Hermann Brückl, FPÖ
What would be feasible and capable of consensus?
“We want compulsory education instead of compulsory schooling, by setting educational goals instead of curricula that students must achieve. This should not only be at the end of compulsory schooling, but these assessments should be made at all transitions. So what does someone have to be able to do in order to get into middle school or high school, but also into university or an apprenticeship? All institutions must be involved.”
What would you implement immediately as a minister?
“Knowledge of German is essential as a prerequisite for starting school; language is one of the biggest problems in schools. No child who cannot follow the lessons is allowed to sit in a class. To do this, they have two years in the German support classes. This is combined with a de-ideologized high-performance school and the reintroduction of special education.”
Sibylle Hamann, The Greens
What would be feasible and capable of consensus?
“We want a nationwide offensive for all-day schools, free of charge including lunch. The afternoon care would then be merged into a single, all-day school, where the carers would be taken on by the public service and work together with multi-professional teams of teachers, leisure educators and psychosocial and administrative staff. With the possibility of external offers for exercise, creativity, career orientation, individual support and parent work.”
What would you implement immediately as minister?
“Develop the 500 schools with the lowest opportunity index into top schools, following the example of the London Challenge, and give them enough resources, freedom and expertise to develop into beacons. However, the common school for 6 to 14-year-olds also remains a concern.”
Martina Künsberg Sarre, NEOS
What would be feasible and capable of consensus?
“We want an opportunity bonus for schools, additional funds for schools with social challenges based on a social index to finance targeted support measures, support staff, social work and learning coaching. The pilot project, which is already running with 100 schools, is well-intentioned, but too small. We need something big.”
What would you implement immediately as minister?
“We are for more autonomy and against excessive bureaucracy. We conducted a survey among teachers and found that 90 percent said that they have to complete lists, protocols and other bureaucratic tasks, which take up far too much time and often have no meaning. It is also essential to dissolve the education directorates and transform them into service agencies for parents as well.”
