Five-point plan

“German offensive” against language barriers in Vienna

Seven percent of all pupils in Vienna's compulsory schools are unable to follow lessons due to a lack of German language skills.

(Bild: APA/Eva Manhart)

The number of exceptional pupils in Vienna is exploding. The city now wants to offer help to children with German language difficulties with a five-point plan. According to the city hall, the fact that this is primarily a voluntary offer is due to the tardiness of the Ministry of Education.

Deputy Mayor Christoph Wiederkehr, City Councillor for Education, is combative in view of the exploding number of exceptional pupils - now seven percent of all compulsory school pupils - in Vienna who are unable to follow regular lessons due to a lack of language skills: From the summer, a "German offensive" is to counter this.

A five-point plan to combat German deficits
The German summer courses launched last year will be expanded to 3,840 places, as will the voluntary courses during the school year. In addition, more language courses are to be offered in libraries. Kindergartens will receive 50 new language support staff, and Wiederkehr also expects the expansion of all-day schools to have a positive effect on language integration: Nine new ones will be added in Vienna in the fall.

(Bild: stock.adobe.com, Krone KREATIV)

ÖVP criticizes "Mickey Mouse offensive"
The voluntary offers are also being accepted, Wiederkehr emphasized: last year, the utilization rate for summer courses was around 90 percent. However, some target groups "cannot be reached" with the voluntary offers - often enough those who need them most urgently. The Viennese ÖVP criticized the measures as a "Mickey Mouse offensive": it was necessary to start in kindergarten and much more intensively.

17,857 exceptional pupils, that's too many. Behind this number are children and young people who need help. Some of them are beyond our reach. This would require changes to federal law.

Vizebürgermeister Bildungsstadtrat Christoph Wiederkehr

Bild: Lukas Zimmer

"Enormous effort" due to other federal states
According to Wiederkehr, he would also like to see more compulsory and less voluntary: "Knowledge of German at school is not optional". In addition, language acquisition is not only a prerequisite for a promising career path, but also for social integration in general. However, Wiederkehr believes that his hands are tied when it comes to taking the necessary steps because the ÖVP-led Ministry of Education is in default.

If Wiederkehr had his way, additional German lessons would take place in a compulsory second year of kindergarten and in schools - instead of German support classes, which do not fulfill their purpose. However, this would require the federal government to change the relevant laws, as would a residence requirement for refugees, which would cushion immigration to Vienna from other federal states. Because neither of these are happening, Vienna is now being asked to make an "enormous effort".