"Krone" commentary

Grade for our education system: Not good enough –

Letter to "Krone" readers: Klaus Herrmann, Managing Editor-in-Chief

(Bild: stock.adobe.com, Krone KREATIV)

The pupils in the east of Austria already have their report cards in their pockets, those in the remaining six federal states will follow on Friday. The report cards for education policy in this country can be awarded long ago - the verdict is devastating.

Sadly, this is nothing new. But in recent months, the already ailing system has already been pushed over the edge in some regions. This is because so-called family reunification has flushed an unmanageable number of children with zero knowledge of German and, in some cases, zero school experience into our education system - which is in danger of being overrun.

At the same time, the system has been failing at every turn for decades. Education expert Andreas Salcher has just listed the numerous weaknesses in the "Krone" newspaper. In order to save the system, he advocates comprehensive all-day schooling and calls for the 50-minute lesson and class groups to finally be abolished. A "new kind of pedagogy" is needed.

How true! In fact, teaching today is largely the same as it was 50 years ago. But a lot has changed outside of schools since then.

Radically different communication through cell phones & co., parents and pupils have become radically more self-confident. Teachers, who are required to teach as they did in the past, are powerless and frustrated in the face of this.

This leaves only one grade for the education system: not enough minus.