Blue-black plans

Compulsory German for all before starting school is fixed

A different wind will soon be blowing in our classes.(Bild: Pressefoto Scharinger/Daniel Scharinger)

Will studying soon cost 1000 euros a year? An increase in tuition fees was already planned in 2017 under the Turquoise-Blue government. Now the higher fees could be used to finance an apprenticeship offensive. A German language requirement before starting school, on the other hand, is already in place. Other controversial projects are also being discussed.

5000 shillings or 363.36 euros - this is how much it has cost to study in Austria (excluding the ÖH contribution of 24.70 euros) since the first of October 2001. As is well known, the contribution was introduced under the Black-Blue coalition and by former ÖVP Chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel.

In any case, the contribution could possibly be increased soon under an FPÖ chancellor Herbert Kickl. An increase in the contribution to 500 euros was already planned in 2017 - despite major protests from the student body. Now an introduction behind the scenes is at least being discussed again.

Between master and master craftsman
As the "Krone" has learned, several controversial proposals are being discussed in the negotiating group on education and research. "We need fewer masters, but more masters", is what is being said by negotiators from both parties.

To achieve this, higher fees and contributions could make studying less attractive. At the request of industry and business, the money raised could also be used to launch an apprenticeship campaign to counteract the shortage of skilled workers as quickly as possible.

German as a "research language"
Other proposals negotiated in the group are also explosive. The Freedom Party is reported to have proposed, for example, that research papers should only be written in German in future and not in English. However, the ÖVP is just as likely to block this as the abolition of compulsory schooling, as demanded by the FPÖ during the election campaign. There is already agreement on a kind of compulsory German before starting school - as the FPÖ also demanded during the election campaign.

German classes that shouldn't be called that
"They should no longer be called German classes, but should become German classes," one negotiator told the newspaper Krone. Tests and courses are to be held in kindergartens and pre-schools before the start of school. Polytechnic schools are also to be upgraded again as an "interface to the teaching profession". A guideline on the guiding culture is also to be established, which will ensure that a cross hangs in all classes and that local customs continue to be "lived".