Call for help from Salzburg

Teachers sound the alarm: “Reaching their limits”

Children's education, not just "childcare": quality should improve(Bild: Markus Wenzel)

Every day, around 23,000 children in Salzburg are under the care of dedicated primary school teachers: "Everyone wants to do a good job, but they quickly reach their limits due to the general conditions," report those affected.

 The staff shortage is still great. In many municipalities, the infrastructure also urgently needs to be expanded. In urban areas, there is a lack of crèche groups in particular. Services have to be shared between fewer and fewer shoulders: "Many managers have to rack their brains every Monday as to how they can still maintain childcare," is the mood. Improvements are urgently needed to keep the profession attractive.

Additional money from the federal government to the federal states
Money is now flowing from the federal government to the federal states: the investment boost is intended to better meet the challenges of the future. Around half of the 31 million euros have already been paid to the municipalities. The rest will be divided up. The state is putting together a package of measures, with around ten to twelve million going directly to the municipalities. Payments are made according to the size of the municipality.

Training is at the heart of the measures. The Center for Kindergarten Education is to be further strengthened. Additional courses are planned. The demand is high. All "Early childhood specialist" courses are fully booked. Around 100 staff will be trained from Salzburg to Lungau in the near future.

New groups are also to be supported in the province. The focus here is on the youngest children, the under-threes. Mobile counseling teams will also be deployed more frequently in future. A streamlined law should make it easier for legal entities in everyday life in future. For example, several people should be able to share the management.