Better German

Vienna’s “Mutmillion” flows into language support

Deputy Mayor Christoph Wiederkehr invests the second year of the "Mutmillion" in eight projects selected by a jury to promote German language skills among children in Vienna.(Bild: Stadt Wien/Markus Wache)

Vienna is investing a further million euros in language acquisition courses and workshops. From the point of view of Deputy Mayor and City Councillor for Education Christoph Wiederkehr, the next government must change the fact that the federal capital has no choice but to support individual projects.

The "Mutmillion" from City Councillor for Education Christoph Wiederkehr (Neos) was originally intended for psychological help for children after the Covid crisis. In its second year, the sum is to flow into language support. In order to face the "dramatic" number of exceptional pupils, "you need courage", Wiederkehr explained the redirection of funds. Eight of the 29 projects submitted, which were selected by a jury, will be funded.

Workshops, courses and teaching support
The eight projects will be subsidized with sums ranging from around 80,000 to almost 200,000 euros, depending on the type and scope of the objectives. The main focus is on additional workshops, courses and teaching support outside of actual school operations. In the "Favoriten: Du kannst das" project, for example, specially trained staff support school locations in the 10th district by providing learning assistance, which is also intended to help build vocabulary.

Wiederkehr with Janine Fischer (left), responsible for "Say what you think! Say what you feel!" and Magdalena Strauch, who wants to support schools in Favoriten.(Bild: Stadt Wien / Lukas Fuchs)

Another project entitled "Say what you think! Say what you feel!" aims to encourage primary school pupils to talk about their feelings - not only because this reduces conflicts and strengthens the class community, but also because the topic also means unfamiliar new vocabulary and more difficult sentences for many, as Janine Fischer, the person responsible, explained at the presentation of the projects.

Money for individual projects as both a necessity and a virtue
For Wiederkehr, supporting individual projects outside of school is part virtue and part necessity: a virtue because he believes that the now often crisis-ridden atmosphere in schools is broken up a little by visits from outside and "schools can also learn from extracurricular activities". One of the main reasons for the restriction to individual projects is that the federal government is responsible for schools and Vienna is therefore unable to change anything in the lessons themselves. Still.

Wiederkehr himself is involved in the coalition negotiations and is emphatically calling for a change in the flow of funds from the education department to the individual federal states: "A major education reform must be the result of the next federal government," he demands. The education reform should also result in a different distribution of funding depending on the needs of the respective school locations, as "the status quo is of course not sensible and not fair".