School projects

Children in Vorarlberg to learn to read better

Not every child can read really well after elementary school, and this should change. Only those who can read have the opportunity to participate fully in society.

(Bild: stock.adobe.com)

The state is intensifying its efforts to further promote children's reading skills. Regional monitoring is to check the effectiveness of the measures.

The ability to read and understand texts should be a matter of course for children from the fifth grade onwards - but in many cases it is not. This is why the state of Vorarlberg, together with the Directorate of Education, is stepping up its efforts to further promote reading skills among young pupils in Vorarlberg. In the coming year, the initiative "Das kleine Ehrenamt - Generation L - Wir lesen vor!" will be launched. Kids can collect "reading aloud points", which are recorded in a special "passport" and sent to the Education Directorate at the end of the school year. The young volunteer reading mentors are then honored for their dedicated participation at a thank-you party.

Increasing educational opportunities
The "Reading Schools Vorarlberg" network is also being expanded further. Last school year, seven schools were awarded this seal of approval, and in the current school year 2023/2024, eight more schools have undergone the demanding certification process. The federal government will take over the Vorarlberg initiative from the 2024/2025 school year and expand it nationwide at primary level. Vorarlberg, on the other hand, is now extending the initiative to secondary level. "It is important that the promotion of reading continues after elementary school," emphasized State Governor Schöbi-Fink. "Reading skills are the basis for educational success and lifelong learning."

Another project is no longer just dedicated to the very young, but also to teenagers: In February 2025, a special reading and language support concept for Vorarlberg's vocational schools will begin - initially at a pilot location, as the state informed on Monday.

New evaluation
Whether the package of measures really works is now to be evaluated in a regional education monitoring program. So far, only an Austria-wide, national education report has been compiled; Vorarlberg wants to collect its specific data in future in order to be able to further adapt the promotion of reading if necessary.