Government ignores student problems: Litzke sounds the alarm!

Government ignores student problems: Litzke sounds the alarm!

On March 27, 2025, Manuel Litzke, member of the National Council and student representative, was critical of the current situation at universities in Austria. In his statement, he described the government's lack of ambition to improve study conditions as worrying. One of Litzke's central concerns is to develop programs such as CEEPUS, which promotes international exchange, should be given greater focus. He emphasizes the importance of such initiatives for both the personal and professional development of students.

Litzke also criticized the financial situation of students, which is characterized by rising housing costs in cities like Vienna and the overcrowding of lecture halls, especially in the initial study phase (STEOP). He pointed out that two thirds of students have to work alongside their studies in order to cover their living costs. In his opinion, this development is a sign that the needs of students are not being sufficiently taken into account in the government program.

Criticism of the government

What is particularly worrying for Litzke is that the government program focused more on the interests of universities rather than those of students. The initiative to improve study conditions would be inadequate if the students' perspective was not taken into account. He also expressed concerns about the increasing schooling of universities and the associated attendance requirements, which impose additional hurdles on students.

Another topic Litzke addressed was the rise of left-wing extremism at universities. He criticized the lack of consideration of this problem in the current government program and was skeptical about the content of the government's 211-page evaluation paper. He wished the minister success in the evaluation tour and called for more financial resources to improve the study conditions.

Importance of international university cooperation

The CEEPUS mobility program is supported by the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research (BMBWF) and plays a crucial role in strengthening scientific cooperation in Central and Eastern Europe. CEEPUS enables students and teachers to live and study in participating countries for a certain period of time without having to worry about finances. Such mobility takes place within networks at the faculty or institute level.

The participating countries in the program include Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Slovakia, and Austria. Universities have the opportunity to apply for funding for networks annually by November 30th in order to enable their students to further academic development in an international context.

In addition, German universities are also increasingly involved in international cooperation. Loud international-hochschulkooperationen.de The development of study programs and faculties abroad becomes more important and should support the internationalization strategies of universities. The Code for German University Projects, which was passed in 2013, sets minimum qualitative and ethical requirements to ensure the quality of German university projects abroad.