2024-11-19 17:08:00
“The number of extraordinary students in Vienna’s elementary schools is exploding. According to currently published figures, this increased by 49 percent during Wiederkehr’s term of office from the 2020/21 school year to this year’s 2024/25 school year. While the number of extraordinary students in Vienna’s elementary schools was 10,484 in the 2020/21 school year, this has increased by 5,129 children in the current 2024/25 school year, and thus by 49 percent to 15,613. Wiederkehr’s “fog grenade” with the publication of the much lower June figures a few weeks ago has vanished into thin air and is obsolete,” said education spokesman Harald Zierfuß.
“However, the question arises as to why “Transparency City Councilor” Wiederkehr hasn’t published these figures long ago? Obviously it always takes the Vienna People’s Party to put numbers on extraordinary students on the table. “Finally, in the upcoming question time in the state parliament on Thursday, the Vienna People’s Party will ask the City Councilor for Education exactly these figures, which he published this evening in a press release,” said Zierfuß. “Rekehr should have put these figures on the table during question time on Thursday at the latest and would no longer have been able to hide them.”
The current figures once again confirm that the majority of these children who cannot speak German when they start school were already born here. The City Council for Education states that more than half of the extraordinary primary school students (52 percent) have their country of birth in Austria and 20 percent even have Austrian citizenship. “If children are born here, grow up, attend kindergarten for at least two years and then still don’t know German sufficiently, it has nothing to do with refugee movements or the permanent positions in Vienna’s schools, but simply with the failure of this city government in the elementary education sector “, says Zierfuß.
“But no matter what the construction site in Vienna’s education sector is – for City Councilor Wiederkehr there has always been only one culprit and that is the federal government. The question actually arises as to why there is a city councilor for education in Vienna if he does not want to or cannot fulfill his constitutionally guaranteed responsibility in the elementary education sector,” said Zierfuß. “The fact is that the city government’s measures are not effective or not effective enough and the problems cannot be solved with a few dozen more language teachers in Vienna’s kindergartens,” said the education spokesman. “Vienna finally has to use the big levers and not just keep turning small screws that don’t lead to any significant changes,” said Zierfuß.
The demands of the Vienna People’s Party have long been on the table: “After a mandatory language proficiency assessment, there should be compulsory attendance at kindergarten for all 3-year-old children, including intensive German support, if it has been determined that they need to learn German. In addition, all educators must have language support training and all assistants must have a language level of C1. In addition, these children need exclusive German support, which is why a full-time language teacher must be permanently available at all kindergarten locations with a high need for language support. It is also important to consider linking the amount of kindergarten funding to the quality of German language support in kindergarten. “After all, the kindergarten has a clear educational mission, the fulfillment of which must be tied to the amount of funding,” concluded the education spokesman.
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How does the Vienna People’s Party plan to address the challenges faced by extraordinary students in the education system?
**Interview with Harald Zierfuß, Education Spokesman for the Vienna People’s Party**
**Interviewer:** Good evening, Mr. Zierfuß. Thank you for joining us. The recent figures regarding extraordinary students in Vienna’s elementary schools have revealed a significant rise. Can you shed some light on what this means for the education system in Vienna?
**Zierfuß:** Good evening, and thank you for having me. Certainly. The data shows that the number of extraordinary students—those who may need additional support, particularly with the German language—has skyrocketed by 49 percent from the 2020/21 school year to the current 2024/25 year. We’ve gone from 10,484 to 15,613 students. This dramatic increase highlights a pressing issue within our education system.
**Interviewer:** You mentioned in your statement that these figures contradict previous reports shared by City Councilor Wiederkehr. Why do you think it took so long for these numbers to be released?
**Zierfuß:** It raises important questions about transparency and accountability within our government. For a City Councilor who is supposed to value transparency, it’s perplexing that such critical data didn’t come to light sooner. It often seems that it takes opposition parties, like the Vienna People’s Party, to push for real answers. We will be holding them accountable during the upcoming state parliament session.
**Interviewer:** In your statement, you pointed out that over half of these extraordinary students were born in Austria and have attended kindergarten. What implications does this have for the current educational policies?
**Zierfuß:** This is a crucial point. If children born and raised in Austria are still struggling with the language after years in the system, it signals a failure in our educational approach. We must look beyond surface-level explanations like refugee movements and critically assess how our educational policies are supporting all children, particularly those who need the most help.
**Interviewer:** What do you suggest as potential solutions to address this issue?
**Zierfuß:** We need to take a serious look at early childhood education and ensure that all children have access to comprehensive language support from a young age. Additionally, we must invest in teacher training to better equip educators to meet diverse needs in the classroom. The government should mitigate the disregarding of these issues instead of continually blaming external factors.
**Interviewer:** Thank you, Mr. Zierfuß, for your insights. We appreciate your time and your commitment to improving Vienna’s education system.
**Zierfuß:** Thank you for the opportunity to discuss this important topic. It’s vital we work towards a more inclusive and effective education system for all children in Vienna.
