Urgent request to the federal government calls for a fundamental realignment of the education system
Vienna (PK) – The latest PISA results, which according to NEOS are cause for concern, have prompted NEOS club president Beate Meinl-Reisinger and NEOS education spokeswoman Martina Künsberg Sarre to present an urgent request to the federal government at today's meeting of the National Council. . They call for a realignment of education policy. It must “not manage mediocrity, but rather shape the future”, as the candidates say. However, NEOS' proposed resolution to initiate a “national reform project” for the education system was only supported by the deputies in its group and was therefore rejected.
In the request, NEOS called for a series of measures, starting with a quality offensive in basic education. They also pushed for opportunity bonus funding for socially challenged schools and to make the teaching profession more attractive. Schools need to be strengthened through the creation of intermediate staff and more psychosocial support staff. According to NESO, what is urgently needed is a sustainable reduction in bureaucracy with the abolition of education directorates and the teacher service law, as well as the creation of true school autonomy. NEOS also calls for greater investment in integration, namely through a mandatory school subject “Living in a Democracy” from the first year onwards, as well as more digital innovations in teaching and learning materials.
Meinl-Reisinger: Minister of Education who is happy with mediocrity is just mediocrity
The results of the latest PISA results are worrying, said NEOS club president Beate Meinl-Reisinger. Many children have huge educational deficits, especially if they come from families with poor education. Although Austria has one of the most expensive education systems in the world, it does not achieve excellence or educational equity. However, the results do not raise alarm bells for Education Minister Martin Polaschek; on the contrary, he is pleased that Austria has fallen less sharply than the average for OECD countries. “An education minister who is happy with mediocrity is just mediocrity,” said Meinl-Reisinger. The Minister of Education is clearly not up to his task and should therefore leave. Given the state of the school system, the promise of progress that has always been associated with a good education in Austria no longer applies. It is important to support all children and support teachers in their efforts to provide them with the best education.
Meinl-Reisinger illustrated his conclusions with the words of a teacher who expressed his concern about the numerous deficiencies in the education system. The free development of children is hampered, there is insufficient participation and insufficient support for teachers. The education system must finally be transformed in the 21st century and contemporary educational ideas must be introduced. Children would be disadvantaged due to their social background or mother tongue, and young educators would be overwhelmed. Austria can no longer “get in the way” like this. On the contrary, a major national reform project must be initiated. If this national effort is not successful, Austria will have to pay the price for “educational failure” tomorrow, warned the president of the NEOS club.
Polaschek: Pursuing evidence-based education policy
The Minister of Education, Martin Polaschek, highlighted that he has carried out his duties as Minister of Education for just over two years with “total passion, dedication and commitment and the most intense work commitment”. A lot has happened in recent years, for example in basic education, where many steps have been taken to improve training and new training opportunities have been created. Federal states and municipalities are also supported with substantial financial resources. In his role as Minister of Education, he and many partners create the framework to prepare all children as best as possible for a complex world and to provide them with appropriate schools. He is proud that schools are able to keep up with the current pace and teach skills and values that are important to society. In schools and in exchanges with teachers and those responsible for training and managing education, he is constantly convinced of what can be achieved here. He is, therefore, surprised by Meinl-Reisinger's presentation, which reveals a misunderstanding and disrespect for what is being done in schools and throughout the educational system. The main priority of his work is combating the teacher shortage. He therefore launched a major teaching offensive and managed to attract many people who changed careers. Polaschek also saw the entry into teacher training courses as proof of the success of the measures. His department is also constantly implementing well-thought-out relief measures for schools. The reputation of the teaching profession is also given. He therefore does not share Meinl-Reisinger's views in any way.
As for the PISA study, it shows that despite the COVID pandemic, the level in Austria remained the same and in many areas above the OECD average. This is a success we cannot rest on, but we are constantly thinking about what could be improved. For example, curricula and teacher training and in-service training are constantly adapted to new demands. It is clear that rapid social changes will always present new challenges that will have to be faced. However, Polaschek emphasized that we do not follow every new trend, but rather pursue evidence-based education policy. His department is therefore investing heavily in educational research. The education system achieves a lot with many committed people, but it is clear that it still needs all the support. Therefore, educational policy is a priority for him.
NEOS: Get out of mediocrity in educational policy
NEOS education spokeswoman Martina Künsberg Sarre was “shocked” that the Education Minister confirmed in his statement that he was satisfied with the mediocre results of the PISA study. She deduces from this that he has no greater demands and has no vision of where things should go and what conclusions can be drawn from the results of the PISA study. The suggestions from education experts, which the Minister of Education wants to wait for, have been on the table for a long time. Polaschek has apparently resigned himself to mediocrity. From Künsberg Sarre's point of view, a complete “reboot of the education system” is necessary. The ideological barriers that have existed in education policy for decades must be overcome and a joint effort must be made towards an ideal education system. “We have to get out of mediocrity,” said the deputy. This can only be achieved together.
Fiona Fiedler (NEOS) criticized Austria for performing poorly not only in the PISA study but also in the United Nations state examination, the unsatisfactory anchoring of inclusive education and therefore the systematic exclusion of children with disabilities. If the trend in PISA results solidifies, Austria's results will be “in the basement”, said Yannick Shetty (NEOS) and called for fundamental measures to reverse the trend.
ÖVP: There are no simple solutions to complex issues about the school system
Rudolf Taschner (ÖVP) accused NEOS of “just observing” all questionable developments and shortcomings in Vienna, where they had the opportunity to implement their ideas. In Vienna in particular, there is a particularly high number of students with glaring educational deficiencies. What is not addressed, however, is the fact that these problems largely result from the problem of migration and inadequate integration. The FPÖ mentions this problem, but does not offer any solutions. The ÖVP, on the other hand, introduced German support classes against great resistance. Overall, there are no simple solutions to the complex issues facing the school system. Your group therefore listens to the opinions of experts. Among other things, they would give good reasons why the comprehensive school that has been repeatedly called for is not the best solution for the whole of Austria.
Several countries that exclude the area of migration would be ahead of Austria in the PISA results and many countries would lose much more significantly than Austria, noted Gertraud Salzmann (ÖVP). Nico Marchetti (ÖVP) also explained that if children with a migrant background who do not speak German were excluded, Austria would rank higher in the study. Therefore, it is important to better reach these children. Although PISA results are well above the OECD average, we should not be satisfied with the results, said Maria Theresia Niss (ÖVP). Instead, we should be on top of things with results; We owe it to the economy and youth.
SPÖ: Guarantee the right to education for all children
Eva Maria Holzleitner (SPÖ) concluded that the Austrian school system is no longer up to date in many aspects. Demands for reform have been raised for a long time and across party lines and are therefore not short-term trends, as Federal Minister Polaschek suggests. Although investments are currently being made in the education system, it is not being reformed and is not producing any corresponding results. Education in Austria still depends on the parental household. This means that Austria has to do without many of its best brains. Therefore, a common school would have to be created and the right to education should be implemented generally. Vienna shows that all children have the right to education, including children with disabilities. Major educational reform is therefore inevitable.
Christian Oxonitsch (SPÖ) criticized both the ÖVP and FPÖ and called for a stronger debate on the content of the educational reform. We are faced with two parties in parliament that fundamentally say no to educational reforms. The educational gap is widening and children's educational opportunities are becoming increasingly divergent, said Andrea Kuntzl (SPÖ), who saw the statements by ÖVP deputies as proof of an “ideological obstinacy in matters of education policy”. The Austrian education system is “breaking”, said Katharina Kucharowits (SPÖ). The reality is that many teachers are dissatisfied and overworked, while children are already under pressure to perform well in elementary school. In 2023 it is still true that education is inherited. Austria needs “many brilliant minds”, so equal opportunities in education must finally be implemented, demanded Michael Seemayer (SPÖ). Blaming each other wouldn't help here.
FPÖ: PISA results show failure of integration policy
Hermann Brückl (FPÖ) accused Education Minister Polaschek of not being aware of the problems in the education system, which were confirmed by the PISA study. He finally had to react, otherwise the school system as a whole would be in danger. Especially with the Corona regime, the federal government finally “destroyed” the once very good Austrian school system. Matura's performance requirements were reduced and therefore devalued. Even high school graduates often do not have sufficient reading and writing skills. Brückl saw it as a result of a failed integration policy that many children in primary schools could no longer attend classes due to a lack of language skills. The level of German support classes introduced at the insistence of the FPÖ is being continually reduced.
The differentiated school system has proven itself, is good and should be maintained, said Dagmar Belakowitsch (FPÖ). Belakowitsch also spoke out against the abolition of banknotes. Furthermore, “mass immigration” is a burden on the education system, as the results for students with non-German first languages show.
Many causes of the misery of education policy are being ignored, criticized Susanne Fürst (FPÖ) and cited reports that, due to the increase in violence, ensuring security is the top priority for many schools. Without a restrictive immigration policy, a tightening of asylum and return laws, nothing will change, said Fürst. Axel Kassegger (FPÖ), who also saw “massive migration” as the main cause, also believed that there was something extremely wrong in the education system. From the FPÖ's point of view, simply investing more money in integration is not a solution. Instead of digitalization, the basic skills of reading, writing and arithmetic should be promoted, demanded Gerald Hauser (FPÖ). All students must have basic knowledge of German to be able to follow classes.
Greens: Seize political opportunities to improve the education system
NEOS often fight for constructive policies, which they value highly, said Sibylle Hamann (Greens) in the direction of previous speakers. However, they repeatedly raise populist demands, which contradicts this attitude. When it comes to the call for major reforms and cooperation in education policy, she would like to take NEOS at its word. At this moment, there are political opportunities for improvements in the education system that must be seized. Particularly in elementary education, more progress was made than under any other federal government. The federal states received a lot of money that now needs to be used appropriately, for example, to expand primary education. Full-time schools are still “a patchwork”, said Hamann, but there is an interesting proposal from the Federal Minister to integrate leisure education into the school system. This would open up new opportunities for all-day school attendance. Hamann called on NEOS to support these approaches.
The aim must be to give opportunities to all children, and this starts in primary education, emphasized Barbara Neßler (Greens). A lack of child care and education would mean a “theft of opportunities” not only for women, but also for their children, Neßler said. It is therefore gratifying that appropriate funds are being made available to expand primary education. (Continued by the National Council) sox/pst/gla
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