Khevenhüller School

End of bilingual teaching in Villach?

Bilingual teaching at the Khevenhüllerschule VS1 in Villach is to be secured.

(Bild: stock.adobe.com – Louis-Photo)

The flagship project at Khevenhüllerschule VS1 - bilingual teaching in German and English - is on the brink of collapse. The SP, VP and the parents' association are now fighting for its continued existence.

Children from 43 nations attend Khevenhüllerschule VS1 in Villach - besides German, English is the main language used to communicate and play with each other. Now bilingual teaching at the school is on the brink of collapse.

This is because the federal government has stopped funding it. The state will only cover the costs for the current school year. The withdrawal of funding would primarily affect the native speakers who work at the Khevenhüller School.

"The school has become a showcase model over the past five years thanks to its bilingual offer. We must not cut corners here!" warns Villach's Deputy Mayor Sarah Katholnig.

Petition for bilingual teaching

Together with the Villach SPÖ and ÖVP, the parents' association has launched an online petition to secure bilingual teaching at the Khevenhüllerschule VS1.

The petition entitled "No savings for our children! Save bilingual teaching! Save bilingual teaching!" has been signed by 274 people so far (as at: 19.11.2024, 8 a.m.).

"Depriving children of opportunities is the wrong approach"
In order to further secure funding, there is a joint resolution to the federal government from the SP and VP at political level. "Everyone knows how difficult it is to learn a language as an adult. Depriving children of this opportunity at a formative stage is the wrong way to go," says city councillor Christian Pober.

In recent years, the school experiment has "impressively demonstrated how valuable multilingualism is for the linguistic, social and cultural development of our children", according to the online petition, which is aimed at the state and federal governments: "Immersion in a second language promotes openness and flexibility in pupils - skills that are essential in a globalized working world and in cultural exchange."

According to the initiators, English is the first or everyday language for many children who attend VS1 - the reason for this is the presence of international companies and businesses in the region.

This underlines the importance of bilingual teaching, which would enable barrier-free access to the Austrian school system. They are therefore calling for "permanent funding for bilingual teaching as a decisive contribution to a fair and future-oriented education policy".