For more understanding

School principal calls for Islam training for teachers

(Bild: krone.tv )

"Teachers are often not sufficiently prepared to deal with pupils from different cultures and religions, especially when it comes to Islam," says Christian Klar, principal of a new secondary school in Vienna-Floridsdorf in an interview with krone.tv. His suggestion: "Islam should definitely be anchored in teacher training."

But that's not all: he also calls for Islamic principles to be offered in further training courses for teachers who are already practising. "It should also be offered as further training, because you have to know how others think. Otherwise you can't understand it," explains the director. Young teachers are poorly prepared for everyday school life and often don't know how to deal with conflicts. "There is a lack of teaching practice," the principal clearly criticizes. Since the education reform, there have been significantly fewer school visits during training, meaning that many graduates "have absolutely no idea what they are getting into"

Violence at schools is on the rise 
However, it is not just a lack of consequences that worries him. He also sees cultural and religious backgrounds as contributory causes. "A large proportion of the pupils at my school come from a different culture, where the way violence is dealt with and approached is completely different. This is partly to do with the culture these new arrivals come from. But it also has a lot to do with their understanding of religion," explains Klar. 

Punishments must act as a deterrent
For Klar, it is essential that the age of criminal responsibility is lowered to twelve years. "There are children who know full well that they are not of criminal age and therefore have no reason to fear any consequences. That is a big mistake," he emphasizes. There must also be tougher punishments for violence in schools. "Our pupils need to know that there are consequences. If you hit someone, you have a problem. And anyone who keeps hitting doesn't belong in this group."

"Anyone who hits has a problem. And anyone who keeps hitting doesn't belong in this group," says Christian Klar about violence in schools.

(Bild: krone.tv )

His solution: tougher punishments, but also psychological support. "Anyone who hits has a problem. Anyone who hits all the time doesn't belong in this group. At the same time, we need psychologists, social workers and therapists, not to sympathize with perpetrators, but to tackle the problem. If I park wrongly, I get a parking ticket. If I beat someone up at school, I need to know that there will be consequences. Prevention is good, but it doesn't work without punishment," appeals the principal.

Fear for the school's reputation
A key issue is the increasing violence at schools. "There are clear problems and it's time they were spoken out loud. We need to speak out," demands Klar, adding that many schools remain silent due to fear of negative headlines and the reputation of the institution. "You don't want to get into trouble with your superiors," he explains. Concern about the school's reputation means that many principals do not speak openly about their difficulties.

"As long as everyone tries to present an ideal world to the outside world within their own small spectrum, there will be no solutions," warns the principal. He also criticizes the lack of willingness to face up to the challenges: "I know of cases where principals didn't want to talk publicly about violent pupils for fear of threats from communities." The fear of repression and the loss of pupil numbers is too great.

"Young teachers are poorly prepared for everyday school life and often don't know how to deal with conflicts," says school principal Christian Klar

(Bild: APA/dpa/Armin Weigel)

Klar also demands that integration requires clear rules: "We want to integrate all people into our culture, but that can't just be done by petting them. We need clear guidelines," he says. He is particularly critical of the inadequate measures against bullying and violence. "Politicians need to recognize that we not only need security measures, but also clear values," Klar demands.

"I am hopeful that politicians will react at some point and we will take the necessary measures," concludes Klar. "It's about the future of our pupils and safety in our schools."

Watch the full interview in the video above!