Vienna elementary schools: One in seven children struggles with language barriers

Vienna elementary schools: One in seven children struggles with language barriers

In Vienna's elementary schools, over 10,000 students are unable to follow lessons due to insufficient knowledge of German. This corresponds to around 15 percent of the total of around 71,000 primary school students, an alarming number that is due to the increase in refugee children in recent years. City Councilor for Education Christoph Wiederkehr (Neos) points out that this challenge has arisen particularly in recent years due to increased refugee movements.

Every year around 4,000 new children enroll in schools, often having recently come to Vienna from other countries. Another problem is the loss of extraordinary status, which these children typically lose after two years, regardless of their language skills at that time. This results in them ending up in regular classes, where they often struggle to keep up.

Lack of resources

Around 17 percent of the affected students are Austrian citizens, many of them even born here. Education experts note that federal funding is not keeping pace with the increase in student numbers. “The positions for German language support are far too few,” criticizes Wiederkehr and calls for more support from the federal government.

In addition, a look at Viennese kindergartens shows that around 60 percent of the children there speak a native language other than German. This reinforces the problem of language barriers in early childhood. To counteract this, the city of Vienna has taken measures, including increasing the number of language tutors.

Criticism from politics

The situation is also causing discussion among political competitors. The Greens, represented by education speakers Julia Malle and Felix Stadler, are of the opinion that the city government has failed here. “If almost half of the students were born in Vienna and cannot speak German sufficiently, that is simply not acceptable,” they express concern.

The ÖVP local councilor, Harald Zierfuß, also criticizes the current situation and points out that despite Neos' participation in government for four years, nothing has changed in this regard. “It can’t be the case that children simply don’t get the help they need,” he emphasizes.

The mood among the various political actors is tense, and the FPÖ has already announced a press conference on the issue, while the Neos and Wiederkehr want to present their view of the situation on Friday. The discussion will continue as the challenges in schools are critical for many children.

For a more in-depth analysis of the problem and the current status of developments, you can find more information find here.