Principal accuses

Schools: “Parents are just shifting responsibility”

The conditions at a secondary school in a hotspot district are shocking (symbolic image).

(Bild: Antal Imre/Imre Antal)

A secondary school principal opens up about her difficult day-to-day school life and now wants to hold parents and guardians more accountable 

"If it had just been verbal abuse, it wouldn't have been enough for a suspension. The school is getting worse and worse." The report by a secondary school principal from a hotspot district has caused much discussion and excitement among Krone readers.

According to the Vienna Education Directorate, the number of pupils suspended from school in Vienna fell by seven percent to a total of 756 in the last school year. The director doubts this: "If it is said that these numbers have fallen because of violence workshops, then that is nonsense. Perhaps they have fallen because there are only more suspensions in the worst-case scenario." Teacher representative Thomas Krebs recently called for a neighborhood police officer for every school. But at her school, there is already very close and good cooperation with the police, emphasizes the principal. But what could the solutions be?

In principle, the first place to start is with the parents, demands the principal: "A child is not born that way. Parents should be held more accountable, many just shift responsibility."

Measure: use child benefit for therapy
Her suggestion: If the underage child commits a crime, the parents could be obliged to invest the child benefit in therapy. Many parents have stopped educating their children during the coronavirus pandemic. "They are now skipping it completely. This increases the problems," says the principal. Their teachers are then supposed to solve them in the all-day school.

The lack of staff also remains a pressing issue. There are more than 50 teachers in 15 classes at the all-day care center run by the secondary school principal. However, 40 of them are still studying. "I put my team of teachers together myself. Some of the girls in the classes are only in their 3rd semester. They graduated 1.5 years ago and are now expected to lead a class," says the principal.

Around 60 percent of all schools are or will soon be short of teaching staff. More than a quarter of the locations affected even state that more than three teachers are missing or will soon be missing. According to staff representative Thomas Krebs, at least 50 classroom teachers and 100 team teachers are currently needed across Vienna. However, she is not frustrated or resigned. "I just wish for more support from those responsible in the city," is her final appeal.