"Dramatic figures"

Only every second first grader can speak German

Dramatic figures from local schools - only around half can speak German

(Bild: ©Ideenkoch - stock.adobe.com)

Now there is finally clarity about the number of exceptional pupils in Vienna. While there were "only" just under 10,500 children in June, there are now 15,613 exceptional pupils in Viennese public elementary school. For first-graders, the average figure is now 60 percent - there can be no question of learning.

Vienna's elementary school are on the verge of collapse. One in five pupils - 15,613 children to be exact - is classified as "exceptional" in the current school year. The number of these children who are unable to follow regular lessons because they speak little or no German has exploded by almost 50 percent since 2020.

Every second child can barely speak German
The problem is obvious: the system is overloaded, integration has largely failed and those responsible are blaming each other. Deputy Mayor Christoph Wiederkehr (Neos) also finds it "dramatic" that 45 percent of Vienna's Taferlklass pupils are already unable to follow lessons due to language deficits.

Wiederkehr holds the federal government accountable
Wiederkehr blames the federal government for the "incredibly high figures". Despite increasing demand, the Ministry of Education now only pays half as much for language support as it did six years ago. In Tyrol, for example, the number of exceptional pupils has tripled since then. More than half of the posts for language support in Vienna would be vacant if Vienna did not pay for them or withdraw staff from elsewhere.

For Wiederkehr, "additional efforts are needed in Vienna, and they will be made. But this is not possible without the federal government."

(Bild: Zwefo)

Demands on negotiators
In the negotiations for a new federal government, Wiederkehr is therefore calling for more money for education, as well as a compulsory second year of nursery school and the possibility of obliging children with language deficits to attend two-week courses in the summer. Wiederkehr also promises that Vienna itself will send a further 100 language support staff into the field at the start of the next school year.

The parents are also to blame
He believes that immigration is only partly to blame for the exploding numbers. For him, the late effects of the pandemic - children who were not in kindergarten at the time are now in elementary school - are also responsible, as are many parents: "Giving a child a cell phone in the baby carriage is not conducive."

Opposition comes down hard on Wiederkehr
The opposition, on the other hand, accuses Wiederkehr of failing across the board - namely in his role as city councillor for bonding and integration. ÖVP education spokesman Harald Ziefuß: "There is danger in delay. Immediate measures are needed in the pre-school sector." In fact, more than 50 percent of these children come from Austria, many of them attend Viennese kindergartens - and still do not speak sufficient German. The consequences of this disaster are dramatic: overcrowded classes, overburdened teachers and a lack of language skills that makes learning difficult for everyone. Even for pupils without special needs.

ÖVP education spokesperson Harald Zierfuß sees a "complete failure in the kindergarten sector".

(Bild: ÖVP Wien)

Some districts already at over 60 percent
An ÖVP inquiry has also revealed the districts in which a particularly high number of exceptional first graders are attending school. In seven districts, this figure is already over 50 percent! In Margareten, for example, it is already 73.8 percent (see chart).

Migration and a system in acute difficulties
Alarmingly, the proportion of children who do not speak German as their first language is already around 60 percent in kindergartens. This is where the crisis begins. The root of the problem also lies in the failure of integration. Vienna has the highest proportion of immigrants in Austria: almost 50 percent of the population have a migration background, and two thirds of immigrants come from third countries. The social conditions of these families are often catastrophic: many parents only have a compulsory school education, earn poorly and live in cramped conditions. Their children start life under the worst possible conditions. This can be seen from the latest report on child and youth health published by the city itself.

Klubobobmann Maximilian Krauss fears that more and more people are making themselves comfortable in the social hammock.

(Bild: Martin Jöchl)

Are young adults already lost?
This sets off a fatal spiral: language deficits prevent educational success, poor education leads to poor chances on the job market. The rate of so-called NEETs (young people without education or employment) among migrants from third countries is already alarmingly high at 28 percent. By comparison, the relative share of NEETs among all adolescents and young adults between the ages of 15 and 24 was 10.9% between 2019 and 2022. This has set alarm bells ringing for the FPÖ. Klubobmann Maximilian Krauss: "The figures published by the city prove what we have been warning about for years: 28% of young people from third countries are neither in education nor employment, have barely completed compulsory schooling and live solely on taxpayers' benefits."

How long will the system continue to work?
One ray of hope, according to the report: However, young former third-country nationals who attend or have attended school in Austria have a positive effect on their future educational or employment career. In view of the constantly increasing number of exceptional pupils, the question is how long this statement will remain valid. According to experts, the education system is on the brink of collapse. Without drastic measures, there is a threat of a lost generation that has neither the language nor the opportunities for a self-determined life.