Budget 2025/26: More money for education and new opportunities for children!

Budget 2025/26: More money for education and new opportunities for children!

On June 5, 2025, the Austrian education budget will be the focus of the political debate. The National Council's Budget Committee is currently discussing the budget proposal for the years 2025 and 2026, with education becoming one of the central topics. According to information from OTS, a total of around 12 billion euros will be made available for education in 2025 and around 12.5 billion euros in 2026, which corresponds to around 9.7 percent of total expenditure.

Additional funds are planned in the areas of language support, training positions, an extension of the kindergarten year and teacher training. An increase in education spending of around 407 million euros is planned for 2025, while an increase of 551 million euros is forecast for 2026. Education Minister Christoph Wiederkehr emphasizes how important the measures are to make the teaching profession more attractive.

Investments in elementary education

A central concern of the current budget is elementary education. Around 210 million euros are planned here in 2025 and 314 million euros in 2026. A compulsory second year of kindergarten is to be introduced from September 2026. Minister Wiederkehr also announced the introduction of the “healthy snack” project, which is to be financed with an annual amount of 20 million euros over the years 2026 to 2029.

The “Quality Offensive for Elementary Education” is to be funded with 10 million euros in 2025 and 15 million euros annually from 2026. Efforts to improve German language skills in schools and kindergartens are recognized as one of the education department's top priorities. This includes a budget for German promotion of 55 million euros in 2025 and 90 million euros in 2026.

Opportunity index and social justice

An innovative concept for combating educational inequality is the opportunity index, which is intended to particularly benefit socially disadvantaged schools. In 2025, 20 million euros are planned for this, while from 2026 65 million euros should be available annually. Another relevant development is the discussion about a legal right to the 11th and 12th school years for students with special educational needs.

The government parties have also brought two motions for resolutions to the plenary session, which deal with the “quality and expansion offensive” in elementary education and the promotion of German in schools and kindergartens. This shows broad political agreement on the need to strengthen early childhood education. The Greens have also called for conditions for binding minimum quality standards in early childhood education.

Public education spending in an international comparison

Compared to other countries, education finances are also very important in Germany. The education budget includes both public and private expenditure that is used for education, research and science. This spending is important not only for general education, but also for higher education and vocational training. Statistics show different expenses per pupil and student, which are also broken down by federal state.

Efforts to increase education spending and ensure the quality of education are undisputed. The challenges that exist in the education sector require targeted measures and investments for a future-proof education policy. Both the federal government and the states and municipalities are responsible for ensuring a fair educational landscape.

OTS reports that…
Parliament informs about...
Destatis offers insights into...