Fewer Children with Poor German Skills in Vienna's Schools

The number of extraordinary students in public compulsory schools in Vienna has decreased this year after years of increase. This was announced by the office of Education Councillor Bettina Emmerling (NEOS) on Monday in response to an APA inquiry. These are children who have insufficient German language skills to follow the lessons. As of October 1, 18,284 people were registered with this status. This is a decrease of about 3.3 percent.

Especially Middle Schools and Polytechnic Schools at the Top

Specifically, there are 614 fewer extraordinary students in the classes this year. According to Emmerling, the decline is particularly strong in middle schools (minus 18.7 percent) and polytechnic schools (minus 31.5 percent). The numbers in primary schools, on the other hand, remain at almost the same level as the previous year, with around 15,650 children.

Education Councillor Emmerling: "Early Language Support Works"

At the same time, it was emphasized that the total number of students in Vienna's public schools has increased by more than 1,300 to almost 114,000 compared to the previous year. "For the first time in years, the development is moving in the right direction again and proves that early language support works and integration is succeeding step by step," emphasized Emmerling. The number is decreasing even though Vienna is growing. "We remain consistent on this path so that every child in Vienna starts with strong language skills and the best opportunities."

The head of the department expressed confidence that many measures would now take effect - and that the effect would be even stronger in the coming years. Vienna has been consistently focusing on targeted language support for years, from kindergarten through school to summer school, Emmerling highlighted. The free German courses for new students were fully booked this year, for example. Language support has also been further expanded in kindergartens, she assured.

Fluctuating Number of Extraordinary Students in Vienna

The proportion of extraordinary students can fluctuate during a school year. On one hand, new individuals with this status constantly arrive due to family reunification. On the other hand, children lose the status when they demonstrate sufficient language skills or, at the latest, after two years even without these skills.

Opposition Demands More Measures

The opposition sees significant room for improvement despite the decline. The Greens noted that Red-Pink celebrates every small step. However, language support is often still lacking. The decline is good, but there needs to be appropriate offerings at every kindergarten location. "The city government promised 500 language support staff, but so far there are only 300, which is still far too few," criticized education spokesperson Julia Malle and education spokesperson Felix Stadler.

The ÖVP pointed out that the number of extraordinary students has massively increased in recent years. The stop of family reunification enforced by the federal government is now showing effect, stated club chairman Harald Zierfuß. This should not obscure the fact that Vienna has a "massive open construction site" in German language support in kindergartens. Emmerling is glossing over the failure.

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.