Vienna in an educational emergency: 1,000 children are waiting for support!

Vienna in an educational emergency: 1,000 children are waiting for support!

On June 26, 2025, the Vienna State Parliament discussed central points about education policy in a meeting. LMP Hannes Taborsky from the ÖVP emphasized the fundamental role of education for good salaries and social participation. Vienna has the highest unemployment rate in Austria, with 47.9% of the unemployed having no completed schooling. Taborsky also pointed out the long waiting times for career changers in the education sector, which urgently need to be reformed.

LMP Selma Arapovic from NEOS emphasized the political importance of education and took on the federal government's responsibility for plannable education policy. She also mentioned the need for schools to register their need for additional instruction during the summer months. In her speech, Arapovic also addressed society's overall responsibility for migrants' German skills and suggested measures such as providing reading mentors and free German courses.

The shortage of teachers is a central problem

The shortage of teachers was discussed by LABg. Julia Malle (GRÜNE), who criticized the delays in the education sector. More than 1,000 children with disabilities are waiting for suitable offers here. Malle also called for an improvement in social mix within schools. LMP Armin Blind from the FPÖ described the committed teachers who, however, suffer from the consequences of political decisions. He noted that school administrators are often not allowed to address structural problems, which further complicates the situation.

Astrid Pany from the SPÖ complained about the opposition's denigration of education measures and noted that the shortage of teachers was a problem caused by ÖVP ministers. She called for needs-based funding for language training, which is essential given the challenges in the education system.

Social measures and survey results

A comprehensive survey by the Institute for Economic Research (ifo) from 2023 shows that 80% of respondents support the requalification of existing teachers in subjects with a teacher shortage. Further results show that 76% are in favor of relieving the burden on teachers with new staff for organizational tasks, while 74% are in favor of targeted training to prevent absences due to illness. 69% of survey participants see the use of student teachers and career changers for substitute lessons as acceptable, which shows a willingness to solve the problem.

These measures are in the context of the analysis of educational inequalities in the Austrian school system from 2012 to 2022. It turned out that there were clear inequalities in education according to social background even before the crises. The corona-related school closures and the current inflation crisis have increased these challenges. Despite the prospect of equal opportunities, many schools are currently requesting that reform measures to reduce social inequalities in the school system are not being sufficiently pursued, as the publication by the Vienna Chamber of Labor shows.

Another point of the meeting was the personnel shortage in the Vienna Administrative Court, where the personnel requirement for judges is 108, but only 85 positions are available. The continuous increase in cases filed underlines how urgent it is to reform the system. The Vice President of the Administrative Court, Maga Beatrix Hornschall, was welcomed to the meeting, which underlines the importance of the topic.

Overall, the session in the Vienna State Parliament highlights the urgent challenges facing the education system and the need for comprehensive reforms in several areas.