Measures needed

Acute shortage of places at secondary schools in Linz

The maximum number of pupils per class will probably be raised.

(Bild: (c) www.VIENNAREPORT.at)

With less than eight weeks to go before the new school year begins and it is not yet certain whether there will be enough places in the secondary schools - the city is considering short-term measures. The situation is serious. It was not for nothing that the SP schools officer Dietmar Prammer warned on Thursday of an acute shortage of school places next September.

Director of Education Julius Stieber emphasizes: "The city and the Directorate of Education are aware of the urgency of the current situation and are already working hard to find solutions to cover the demand for school places in the long term and to ensure a modern and pleasant learning environment for all pupils."

How did you get into this situation? Recently, several schools have been expanded thanks to the planning of the municipal real estate company ILG. However, the school is struggling with fluctuations in pupil numbers, triggered by individual events such as the war in Ukraine. Currently, however, it is primarily the increased influx of families from Syria and Afghanistan that is affecting Linz disproportionately compared to other municipalities.

Containers like the one on Aubrunnerweg will not be able to solve the shortage of school places in the short term; it is more likely that the maximum number of pupils will be increased.

(Bild: Dostal Harald)

Gyms as classrooms
Prammer: "We are aware of the problem of the generally high demand and are tackling the challenge of finding and adapting rooms for specific locations." Consideration is also being given to converting gyms into classrooms in the short term. This is because containers, such as the one in Auhof (Mira Lobe School), cannot be realized in the short term. ILG Managing Director Markus Eidenberger: "There are delivery times of up to six months for suitable containers, so this requires a lead time."

Maximum number of pupils per class is likely to rise
What other short-term measures could be taken? Prammer: "Even if it's not the best thing in educational terms, we will probably have to increase the maximum number of pupils per class." "But there won't be more than 30 children per class anywhere," reassures Stieber.

The ÖVP is calling for a needs and development plan and wants to put a comprehensive question to Prammer in the municipal council after the vacations as to how it could have come to this.