Chaos at Vienna's schools: 8,000 first graders without knowledge of German!

Chaos at Vienna's schools: 8,000 first graders without knowledge of German!

Wien, Österreich - An alarming report by Niki Glattauer, a former teacher and school director, emphasizes the worrying linguistic deficits in future first graders in Vienna. According to Glattauer, a current survey on the occasion of the school enrollings shows that 85 percent of the new first graders do not have sufficient knowledge of German. This affects around 8,000 children who are to be enrolled in Vienna's schools this year. These findings are not only a wake -up call for schools and educational institutions, but also raise questions about linguistic support in early childhood development.

A concrete example from the description of Glattauers illustrates the extent of the problem: A six -year Romanian girl can answer in fragments when asked about his home language, while another child, a girl with Austrian citizenship from a Turkish family, is unable to form a meaningful sentence. These cases make it clear that the challenges are not only limited to children with a migration background, but also affect Austrian citizens.

Questions about language support

Glattauer also expresses his skepticism with regard to the effectiveness of German promotion measures in kindergartens. He asks the question of whether the parents, kindergartens or the learning themselves are insincere when it comes to reporting on the status of language support. In this context, a report on free tutoring in Vienna is also quoted, which shows that many children refuse classes and even make fun of the teachers. However, taxpayers ultimately have the social and financial consequences of this problem.

Linguistic skills are crucial for learning processes and educational paths, also for social participation, as well as the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research emphasizes in their explanations. Language promotion in educational institutions is therefore a central element that is intended to support people with a migration background in their integration path. The aim is to give the children a solid basis for their entry to school.

measures for language support

In order to meet the needs of the children, the education system relies on various instruments for the language status determination. From the 2019/20 kindergarten year, a nationwide uniform procedure will be used, which captures language skills in both children with German and first language as well as in children with German as a second language. The instruments "Besk Kompakt" and "Besk-Daz Kompakt" are used, which are carried out by trained specialists.

A mandatory handover sheet documents the linguistic strengths and funding areas of each child and must be transmitted to primary schools by the beginning of September. These systematic approaches to early language support are intended to ensure that each child receives the necessary support in order to successfully start the school career. Annual language status for children from the age of third are part of this effort.