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New Rules Planned for Private Schools: This is What Should Change

Private schools will in the future have to undergo an approval process before starting operations, according to the plan by Education Minister Wiederkehr. Previously, a notification of establishment was sufficient, which could be prohibited if prerequisites were not met. Additionally, private schools must support "the values and tasks of the Austrian school."

Currently, the establishment of a private school only needs to be notified and can be prohibited within three months due to lack of prerequisites. From the beginning of 2027, an approval process is to be introduced, according to a draft for review with a deadline of December 29. The establishment must then be announced at least six months before the start of classes, and the school authority must conduct an approval process.

More Legal Certainty for Private Schools Through New Rules

The new system is expected to improve legal certainty for school operators, students, and their guardians, according to the explanations. The revocation of approval is also newly regulated. In addition, there are new requirements for private school operators - for example, they must create the technical prerequisites for their integration into the school administration systems.

There are also innovations in the granting of public status - with this, private schools are allowed to issue certificates that are equivalent to those of similar public schools. In the future, public status will only be granted to private schools after a review of ongoing operations, but unlike before, it will be granted permanently (and not just limited to already existing classes). However, a legal requirement is a three-time review within ten years to ensure the continued fulfillment of prerequisites and compliance with school law regulations.

Education Directorates Responsible for Public Status

There are also changes in responsibility: In the future, public status will be granted by the respective education directorate - previously, the Ministry of Education was responsible for this. To ensure uniformity, it must randomly check the execution of the education directorates.

The new rules also have an impact on some already existing private schools. So-called statute schools - those without a legally regulated type of school like elementary school, middle school, etc. - must adapt their organizational statutes to the new legal situation. And schools that are neither statute schools nor have a legally regulated type of school designation must apply for this by September 1, 2027.

(APA/Red)

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

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