2023-05-16 14:22:20
Education in Austria is still often inherited
Vienna (OTS) – Is Austria prepared for the educational policy challenges of the future? The transformation of the world of work, digitization and last but not least an increasing need for skilled workers pose challenges for Austria, especially with regard to the (further) education of its children and young people. Two national and international education studies presented today once once more make it clear that Austria has met these challenges only moderately successfully in recent years and is treading water in educational development.
On the one hand, the international comparative study “Progress in International Reading Literacy Study” (PIRLS) provides indications of this, in which the reading performance of pupils at the end of the fourth grade of elementary school is now being tested for the fourth time. In Austria, tests were carried out in April and May from 160 randomly selected schools. With an average of 530 points, Austria is 27 points above the international average of the comparison countries, but this means a drop of 11 points compared to the last test in 2016 – a similar level to the penultimate test in 2011 (529 points). Ilkim Erdost, AK Head of Education, is concerned: “This decline is perhaps not surprising given the consequences of the pandemic. However, it shows that little progress might be made in the reading skills of Austrian schoolchildren, which also persists in crises.”
Socio-economic conditions in the parental home turn out to be the main reason for differences in the reading skills of students in all countries compared. The EU average for these children is 82 points compared to children of parents with tertiary qualifications. In Austria, however, this factor is of above-average importance. Here the performance deficit is even 92 points. Austria is even one of the countries with the strongest correlation between parents’ low professional status and children’s reading skills among the EU comparison countries.
In addition, studies repeatedly show that the challenges at school locations are particularly great, as they have to compensate for existing disadvantages. There are schools with many children whose parents cannot help them with their homework, or who simply cannot find the time to study together for a variety of reasons (work pressures, care responsibilities, etc.). These locations face major challenges in offering the children a reasonable learning environment and successfully accompanying all students to their educational goals. Erdost sees a need for political action here: “These schools urgently need additional support in order to offer a good learning environment and to be able to promote the talents of every child! For this we have developed the AK Opportunity Index, with which targeted support would be possible.”
Because where early educational inequalities lead was also documented today by Statistics Austria in the annual report “Education in Numbers”. This study also comes to the conclusion that the educational level of the parents is particularly relevant for the educational success of children in Austria and that educational opportunities are very unequally distributed. Almost 6 out of 10 children whose parents have a university degree also achieve a university degree in Austria. If the parents have completed compulsory school at most, not quite 1 in 10 children (7 percent) in Austria manage to achieve an academic degree themselves. The trend is ongoing: Even among the students, around 52 percent still come from academic families
In view of the major challenges in the Austrian education system that have been documented once more today and the pronounced educational inequalities, it is surprising that current education policy is characterized by a severe standstill. The Ministry of Education said last summer: “We don’t need a large-scale discussion of principles”. One should only “turn the screws”. Erdost says that’s not enough: “Today’s results show that we’re not prepared for the future. The Austrian education system urgently needs a new start – preferably with a major fundamental discussion in which we have to talk regarding alternatives to a system in which educational advancement is still very difficult.”
Questions & contact:
Chamber of Labor Vienna
Julian Bruns
06641525111
julian.bruns@akwien.at
1684246951
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