Alarming language weaknesses: 8,000 first graders in Vienna!

Alarming language weaknesses: 8,000 first graders in Vienna!

The latest developments related to the language skills of first graders in Vienna raise concerns. According to Niki Glattauer, a former teacher and school director, 85 percent of future first graders show inadequate knowledge of German in the current school registration. This means that around 8,000 children in this city will enter the school without enough language skills. These alarming numbers come from a direct observation and reporting of Glattauers about the situation in the Vienna schools.

frightening insights. He reports of a six -year -old child of Romanian origin, which replied in fragments when asked about his home language. Another example is a girl from a Turkish family with a Austrian passport who is unable to form a sensible sentence. This raises questions about the existing language support measures and how effectively they are actually implemented.

Unclear about language support

Uncertainty regarding German funding in kindergartens is a central concern. Glattauer questions whether parents, kindergarten or the promotion itself may not say the full truth. A reference to the chaos in Vienna's free tutoring shows that many children refuse to teach and even mock the teachers. The consequences of this development primarily bear taxpayers.

A solid linguistic basis, however, is essential for learning processes, educational paths and social participation, as the website of the Austrian Ministry of Education states. Language support is an integral part of the tasks of educational institutions, where children's skills are to be supported in everyday life through various activities. This applies especially to children with a migration background who rely on this funding on their way of integration.

The role of educational institutions

The Ministry of Education emphasizes that knowledge of German communities and identification with common values are prerequisites for successful social participation and integration. The promotion of the German Education Language has also been particularly important in the past two years before compulsory schooling. From the kindergarten year 2019/20, a uniform instrument will therefore be used to record language skills that will benefit the children.

This system includes instruments such as "Besk Kompakt" for children with German as a first language and "Besk-Daz compact" for those with German as a second language. In order to identify the need for support in the language area, the language status is carried out by specialists in uniform periods and with defined threshold values.

A mandatory transfer sheet contains information about the strengths and promotible areas of a child in the language area is transmitted to the primary school. This document must be submitted by the beginning of September after the school holidays at the latest. Annual language status findings for all children from the age of third are also planned. The practice-oriented approach includes concepts for the imparting of reading and writing experiences for children who are at the age of two to six years, and aims to promote multilingualism and literacy in families.

Overall, it can be assumed that the current challenges in language support reflect major structural problems within the education system that urgently need to be addressed.