NEOS DEMAND:

Better support for schools in hot spots

Claudia Gamon and Christoph Wiederkehr at the press conference in Bregenz.

(Bild: NEOS Vorarlberg)

NEOS state leader Claudia Gamon presented the "Opportunity Index" together with the pink education spokesperson Christoph Wiederkehr. This is intended to guarantee appropriate support for schools that have to deal with many problem areas. 

"Those responsible in the ÖVP education department have been making empty promises for ten years," complains NEOS regional chairwoman Claudia Gamon. Like Vorarlberg's SPÖ leader Mario Leiter, she also hopes to be part of a future state government and promises: "We will work to ensure that every school receives the support it needs for its individual challenges."

Specifically, she has set her sights on 24 hotspot schools - a term that the responsible state councillor Barbara Schöbi-Fink did not want to hear at all in a recent state parliament session. She prefers to speak of "schools with special challenges". However, Gamon does not want to spend much time discussing terminology. For her, one thing is clear: "We must support these schools with the necessary resources and strengthen these school locations in coordination with the federal government."

Gamon had invited the Deputy Mayor of Vienna, Christoph Wiederkehr, to the press conference in Bregenz on Wednesday, a fellow campaigner on education issues. The NEOS mandatary has been responsible for education, youth, integration and transparency since 2020.  

NEOS demands

• A nationwide introduction of the opportunity index
• Strengthen schools individually
• Taking a holistic and sustainable approach to school development together with the school's social space
• give teachers and principals the necessary recognition and work together with pupils and parents
• Develop and implement a school development program comparable to the "Vienna Education Promise"

Together, the Pinks presented an "opportunity index" - i.e. school funding that provides additional budget to school locations with more children from educationally disadvantaged backgrounds, with a non-German mother tongue or other support needs. "This is to be used for innovative projects, staff, school psychologists and social workers," explained the state chairwoman.

Of course, the idea is not entirely new: international organizations such as the OECD have been advocating the introduction of needs-based school funding in Austria for years in their recommendations for action. Resources would then be allocated according to clearly comprehensible criteria (for example, according to the number of pupils, the educational level of the parents or the number of non-native speakers). 

"Vienna education promise"
Christoph Wiederkehr presented the "Vienna Education Promise", which aims to provide all girls and boys - regardless of their parents' income, first language or place of residence - with the best educational opportunities. "Each voluntarily participating school can work out for itself which priorities are set with the appropriate resources," explained Wiederkehr.

School management, teachers, pupils and parents work closely together during implementation. "The education pledge strengthens school management teams with networking opportunities, tailored workshops and accompanying coaching." The offer is currently being evaluated and would ultimately reduce the workload of teachers.

Rejected with concerns in Vorarlberg
If Claudia Gamon has her way, the "Vienna Education Promise" would also be implemented in Vorarlberg. "A comparable school development program could also be implemented in Vorarlberg based on this model. The NEOS have already tabled a motion with these specific demands in the state parliament, but it was rejected." However, Gamon promised that this would change if she became a member of the education council after the state elections.