2023-10-19 01:08:05
Resolutions on dealing with AI in schools and evaluating lateral entry into the teaching profession
Vienna (PK) – School and university topics were at the end of today’s agenda National Council meeting. Two of the resolutions concerned changes to the law in the school sector. The MPs unanimously decided to enshrine mandatory child protection concepts in the school education law. In the area of elementary education, newly created training courses were also unanimously included in the Employment Requirements Basic Law.
With the votes of all parliamentary groups except the FPÖ, the MPs passed a resolution from the SPÖ, ÖVP and the Greens on an evaluation of the new lateral entry model for teachers. A motion for a resolution from the coalition calling for a strategy for dealing with artificial intelligence (AI) in schools was unanimously approved. On the other hand, an SPÖ motion on the topic of a comprehensive AI strategy for the school sector did not find a majority. The SPÖ’s demand for an anti-inflation package that supports children and parents starting school also remained in the minority.
Finally, the majority of the National Council voted in favor of amending the University Student Union Act. Here too, approval was received from all parliamentary groups except the FPÖ. The background is the opportunity created by the last amendment to the law for small student bodies to subordinate themselves economically to the Austrian student body, which has hardly been taken advantage of so far. With better conditions for student representation at smaller universities, this option should now become more attractive. During this debate, all five political groups tabled a joint motion for a resolution, which was adopted unanimously. You are calling for the Ernst Mach scholarship for students and researchers from Ukraine who are considered displaced persons according to an EU directive to be continued beyond the winter semester of 2023/24.
Recognition of the new training in elementary education
In order for graduates of newly created training courses in the field of elementary education to be able to take up professional work as group-leading elementary education teachers, a unanimous decision was made Government template decided to include these training courses in the employment requirements basic law.
The training initiative in the kindergarten sector is a good development for Austria, said Rudolf Taschner (ÖVP). Kindergartens are very important, so we need to get a lot of people interested in careers in this area, including men. The federal states are responsible for kindergartens, but in Vienna they didn’t take it so seriously, Taschner criticized and referred to the misuse of Minibambini funding, to which the city reacted quite late. Essentially, it is good that the regions are responsible for the kindergarten sector, says Taschner, because they know best what is needed. However, the training of educators should remain in the hands of the Federal Ministry. The goals of what a kindergarten has to achieve are important. This would include teaching the German language, ensuring that the children are ready for primary school and the children’s social development, which enables them to live in a social group, said Taschner. None of this is self-evident.
Melanie Erasim (SPÖ) replied that Vienna was the best “children’s education state” because children’s education there was “all day, all year round and free”. The finance minister’s new budget brings a “de facto cut” in funding for the education sector, taking inflation into account, Erasim criticized. The educators deserve more than one “children’s education scam” after the other.
Vienna is not the best example in the education sector, as one in seven primary school children in Vienna cannot follow lessons, said Hermann Brückl (FPÖ). There are now a large number of training offers in the area of elementary education, which has become very confusing. There is a severe shortage of staff in the education sector and having students help out cannot be a permanent solution. The Minister of Education lacks a clear idea of what the future should look like, there is a lack of ideas, criticized Brückl and called for a change of government.
Sibylle Hamann (Greens) was pleased with the general consensus about the importance of elementary education. With the announced €4.5 billion for child care, there will be a massive expansion and everyone agrees that “many, many new elementary teachers” are needed. The training of educators is the only area for which the federal government is directly responsible. There are now tailor-made training paths for elementary education at all levels and also funding so that those interested can afford to switch to this professional area. A new information platform should provide an online overview of all training offers.
Martina Künsberg Sarre (NEOS) demanded a step-by-step plan that stipulates how the area of elementary education is to be further developed in the long term. With regard to the criticism of Vienna, Künsberg Sarre said that there was at least control there, because otherwise nothing would be known about the misuse of Minibambini funding. In addition, the childcare rate in Vienna is much higher than in the other federal states. Vienna is far ahead of the others in this regard, says Künsberg Sarre.
Everything must be done to make careers in the education sector attractive, said Agnes Totter (ÖVP). This means that educators can concentrate on their core tasks. In this context, the establishment of “administrative assistance” was able to create “real relief” in compulsory schools, said Totter.
Childcare and education are important for our society, so the investment of €4.5 billion in this area will represent a milestone, said Education Minister Martin Polaschek. Working conditions and salaries of educators are not the responsibility of the federal government, but of the states. Efforts are being made to exchange ideas so that together we can ensure the best education, says Polaschek.
Child protection concepts to prevent violence in schools
One was unanimously approved Government template to amend the School Education Act, which requires the creation and implementation of a child protection concept for every school. This measure aims to protect students from physical, psychological and sexual violence in schools. It is planned that each school will create its own child protection concept. In the course of developing the concept, it is mandatory to establish a code of conduct, carry out a risk analysis, put together a child protection team and define how to proceed in the event of possible threats. The aim is to protect students from violence by adults as well as violence between themselves.
Together with the package in the field of justice decided in the afternoon, the child protection concepts in schools are a big step in the area of child protection, said Nico Marchetti (ÖVP). Romana Deckenbacher (ÖVP) emphasized that everything must be done to protect children from violence. Quick and coordinated action is needed. It is important to look instead of looking away. Carina Reiter (ÖVP) emphasized that there are already schools with concepts to protect against violence; it is now a matter of creating uniform standards.
Christian Oxonitsch (SPÖ) criticized the fact that no additional financial resources were earmarked for child protection concepts in schools and therefore submitted a motion for a resolution in which he called for additional budgetary resources for the implementation of mandatory child protection concepts in schools. The motion did not receive a majority.
Hermann Brückl (FPÖ) said he did not believe that the mandatory child protection concepts were a big achievement and warned that the open formulation of this proposed law also carried the risk that the authorization to issue ordinances that was granted here would have to be used for “future legislation”. as we know them from “times of a Corona regime”. In addition, there is an increasing potential for conflict in schools and there is a lack of security and support for those who are directly responsible at the schools.
Violence prevention begins long before something happens, emphasized Sibylle Hamann (Greens). It is important to have a broad definition of violence that also includes psychological violence, because this can also destroy children. The child protection concepts are developed together at each location; this is important participation.
With these child protection concepts, teachers get more tasks, but not more resources, and the “bureaucracy monster” is fed, criticized Yannick Shetty (NEOS). He also expressed criticism of the impact analysis of the proposed law.
It must be important to everyone that the school is a safe place, said Education Minister Martin Polaschek. The aim of the mandatory child protection concepts is to provide a process flow. It’s about the appropriate framework that enables child protection to take effect.
MPs for a strategy for dealing with AI in schools
The increasing spread of practical applications of artificial intelligence (AI) such as ChatGPT is also presenting schools with ever greater challenges. The ÖVP and the Greens show that we need to start in many areas Motion for a resolution convinced, which focuses on the development of its own AI strategy for the education sector, the anchoring of the topic in the training, further education and further training of educators, the corresponding further development of teaching materials and the holding of public expert discussions on the topic of “Opportunities and “Risks of AI in Schools”. There was one in negotiation SPÖ application, which called for a comprehensive AI strategy for the school sector. This was only supported by the NEOS and was therefore rejected.
AI has arrived in everyday life and therefore also in schools, said Katharina Kucharowits (SPÖ). However, the Minister of Education has so far left the students and teachers alone to deal with the resulting problems and has not been able to offer a strategy for dealing with AI. The current motion for a resolution actually only calls for things to be self-evident, but your group will still agree to it.
Eva-Maria Himmelbauer (ÖVP) contradicted Kucharowits and emphasized that an intensive discussion by both the Ministry of Education and the schools was already underway on the possibilities for the sensible use of AI. The process is undoubtedly not yet complete, but we are well on the way. Maria Theresia Niss (ÖVP) said that although it is important to take the risks of AI seriously, one should not lose sight of the opportunities that arise. Rudolf Taschner (ÖVP) said that one should speak of “simulated” rather than “artificial intelligence”. This could undoubtedly be an interesting tool. However, it is important to support the students in developing their critical thinking and judgment skills.
Werner Herbert (FPÖ) said that it makes sense to develop rules for the sensible use of AI. It is important that the development of creativity and one’s own efforts remain given appropriate importance. We still need to take a closer look at the question of data protection when using AI.
Süleyman Zorba (Greens) said that, fortunately, a lot has already happened in the area of digitalization of schools. The debate about AI now marks the next stage in the effort to optimally prepare students for the future. This requires a comprehensive strategy that should be developed in the next few months.
Evaluation of the new lateral entry model for teachers
A majority vote was passed by the SPÖ, ÖVP and the Greens Motion for a resolutionwhich aims to evaluate the new lateral entry model as part of the teacher initiative for secondary general education.
Hermann Brückl (FPÖ) rated the possibility of a lateral entry into the teaching profession as quite sensible. However, they alone will not be able to solve the problem of the shortage of teachers; many fundamental problems in the school system would have to be addressed. However, Education Minister Polaschek does not see a vision for the future of the school.
Gertraud Salzmann (ÖVP) said that around 4,000 people have so far expressed interest in a career change into the teaching profession and 1,600 have already successfully completed the certification. This is another building block in the efforts to counteract the impending shortage of educators. Now this training track should be evaluated in order to improve it further. It is also important to make the teaching profession more attractive overall again. This includes a teacher training course that can be completed within a reasonable period of time and relieving teachers of bureaucracy.
Petra Tanzler (SPÖ) said she was pleased that her idea of evaluating lateral entry into the teaching profession was accepted. But this special path to becoming a teacher is only one piece of the puzzle in solving the problem. Overall, it is about improving the framework conditions for the profession and bringing the Austrian education system forward again. Unfortunately, she does not currently see sufficient efforts by the federal government to do this.
Sibylle Hamann (Greens) welcomed the evaluation and found broad agreement that it was important to enable as many people as possible to make a lateral entry into the teaching profession.
NEOS MP Martina Künsberg Sarre said it was somewhat strange that the motion for a resolution supported an evaluation that the Federal Minister said he had already commissioned. She hopes that once the results are available, the Minister of Education will soon begin to remove the many absurd bureaucratic obstacles that prevent qualified and highly motivated people from teaching.
SPÖ is calling for more help for starting school in view of rising prices
One SPÖ initiative, which did not find a majority, is pushing for a comprehensive anti-inflationary package for the school sector in order to reduce the financial burden on parents and teachers. The Social Democrats are calling for the circle of recipients of the “Schulstartklar” campaign to be expanded, free tutoring and remedial lessons at schools and a budget for teachers leading classes to purchase school materials and equipment as well as for use in school events and excursions.
During the debate, Rudolf Silvan (SPÖ) submitted a motion for a resolution from his group, which called for sufficient federal funds to be able to offer all children at elementary educational institutions and school children throughout Austria a free, healthy, high-quality and wholesome lunch. The motion did not find a majority.
Better distribution key for small university students and student representatives
Finally, the MPs dealt with one more thing at the meeting Short story to the University Students Act 2014 (HSG). The central point is a different distribution of student contributions to university student bodies or student representatives at educational institutions where no university student body has been set up. The new distribution keys are intended in particular to benefit the existing student bodies and student representatives at universities of teacher education, technical colleges and private universities and to encourage them to opt for co-supervision in economic matters by the Austrian University Students’ Union (ÖH). So far, this option has hardly been taken advantage of because it was associated with financial disadvantages.
FPÖ science spokesman Martin Graf submitted an amendment to the University Student Union Act to provide an opt-out option for students who do not want to be members of the ÖH. He sharply criticized ÖH Vienna events, which included a “left-wing mass” and an “anti-national holiday” and which were purely “networking meetings for the left-wing extremist scene”. Graf asked the Minister of Science to what extent such activities would correspond to the tasks of the ÖH and how it could be justified that students with different views had to support a “fortress of left-wing extremism” with their “forced contributions”. Christian Hafenecker (FPÖ) also criticized the financing of what he saw as left-wing extremist activities by some student representatives. In fact, these groups exclude and threaten dissidents and cannot rely on freedom of expression.
Nico Marchetti, ÖVP area spokesman for student affairs, saw the amendment as a number of sensible regulations in the economic matters of university student bodies. In the future, economics officers will either have to have certain basic knowledge or acquire it in a timely manner.
Bettina Rausch-Amon (ÖVP) viewed it as positive that the economic competence of the high school students should be strengthened. She rejected an opt-out from a democratic self-governing body, as demanded by the FPÖ. Andrea Holzner (ÖVP) welcomed the fact that the amendment also includes students at the Institute of Digital Sciences Austria in Linz in the University Student Union Act.
Petra Oberrauner (SPÖ) welcomed the strengthening of smaller university student bodies and student representatives. SPÖ science spokeswoman Andrea Kuntzl also conceded that the new regulations for university student bodies would “largely fit”. Unfortunately, the coalition does not care about improving the social situation of students and is not prepared to consider creating part-time study programs for working students.
The Green Party’s science spokeswoman Eva Blimlinger countered the SPÖ criticism by saying that support for students had been massively expanded. As far as the amendment is concerned, it was developed in close coordination with the ÖH and implements sensible innovations.
Martina Künsberg Sarre, science spokeswoman for NEOS, welcomed the minimum competencies for business consultants set out in the amendment. Students have the right to have their contributions used sensibly.
Polaschek: Amendment strengthens student representation
Science Minister Martin Polaschek was satisfied that the amendment had succeeded in strengthening smaller university student bodies and student representatives through a redistribution of student contributions and enabling them to come under the umbrella of the Federal ÖH without economic losses. He would be happy to discuss the SPÖ’s demand for part-time study separately, but from his point of view there are still a number of objections to such a form of study. The universities would also already accommodate working students in many ways.
Student participation has great value and has proven itself, emphasized the Minister of Science. He therefore sees no reason to depart from the current ÖH membership regulations. Even if you can discuss individual actions by student bodies, you have to be able to “endure” them in the interests of freedom of expression. (End of the National Council) bea/sox
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