German disaster in Vienna: Almost 75% of first graders struggle with the language!

A worrying picture emerges in Vienna: the number of students struggling with inadequate German skills is increasing dramatically. In the current school year 2024/25, 44.6 percent of all first graders, or 8,342 children, are affected by this problem. This is shown in a query response from Education City Councilor Christoph Wiederkehr crown reported. What is particularly alarming is that 61 percent of these students were born in Austria and 24 percent even have Austrian citizenship. This shocks many people, because good command of the language is the basis for academic and social success.

The situation varies greatly between districts. In Margareten, one of the most problematic districts, an astonishing 73.8 percent of first graders cannot speak German sufficiently. In Favoriten and Brigittenau, this proportion is also above the critical mark of 60 percent. In contrast, the children in Vienna-Mariahilf performed best with 18.9 percent and Wieden with 27.4 percent. It is frightening to see how these numbers diverge, pointing to serious differences in the quality of education in different parts of the city Today reported.

The roots of the problem

Politicians from the FPÖ, the ÖVP and the Greens attribute the causes of the German disaster to the red-pink city government. These three opposition parties are united in their criticism and accuse Deputy Mayor Christoph Wiederkehr, who could run as Minister of Education, of failure. While the debate rages on, the question remains as to how these children can receive adequate language education in order to gain a foothold in society. Debates about the city's educational strategies are intensifying, especially as language and integration challenges increase significantly.