Minister of Education brings a breath of fresh air: new school subject and debureaucratization!

Minister of Education brings a breath of fresh air: new school subject and debureaucratization!

Minister of Education Christoph Return (NEOS) has presented a comprehensive reform agent for the Austrian education system, which includes a "large debureahratization offensive". This initiative aims to give schools more freedom and personal responsibility and at the same time increase the quality of education in Austria. Return emphasizes that it is important that children like to go to school and that violence in schools must be reduced. A central element of this strategy is the introduction of a new school subject called "Democracy", which will serve in the future to promote common values.

The reforms also provide for the introduction of a second, mandatory kindergarten year to strengthen elementary pedagogy. According to the return, 80 % of the ministry's instructions will be reduced or deleted from the coming school year. This should relieve the schools of outdated circulars and give the teachers more freedom.

promotion of language skills and prevention work

Another focus is on promoting language skills and reading ability of children and adolescents. For the current year, a total of 120 million euros for language support and violence prevention were provided in schools. These investments are part of a comprehensive plan to intensify the prevention work of the police in schools to prevent violence.

Return has created a “entertaining team” that consists of school management, teachers and external experts. This team is intended to advance the implementation of the reforms. Despite the tense budget situation, the Ministry plans to better support schools by providing secretariat. Return emphasizes the need for a cultural change within the field of education in order to offer schools more service and reduce central instructions.

dealing with challenges in schools

A central point of the reform agenda is also the handling of suspended children. It must be thought about how to help these students better. In addition, the Minister of Education wants to intensify the exchange about cultural conflicts and living together in schools. A decisive goal of these reforms is that school must be a fear -free place where equality and common basic values ​​are promoted.

In order to counter the challenges of teacher lack, a package of measures is put together. More teacher students are to be won over, better framework conditions are created and the transition to elementary school is to be promoted. Return is convinced that these measures can be sustainably improved the educational landscape in Austria. While the government is planning to make budget consolidations at the same time, the investment remains in the formation of one of the main goals.