Everyday life in Vienna

Principal Klar: “It has become more Arabic”

(Bild: krone.tv )

Christian Klar, principal of a secondary school in Vienna-Floridsdorf, describes everyday life at his school in an interview with krone.tv. "The trend is changing. It's become a bit more Arabic again. When I started, the largest group was Turkish children. That has decreased. Then it was more Chechen and Afghan children."

How would the director assess the general situation in Vienna? Sure: "I don't think it's just the case at my school. If you look at the school enrolment figures, a third of children with a non-German mother tongue now have Arabic as their first language. Something is changing there." The proportion of foreigners in Vienna is generally high, but how high depends on the immediate location of the school. It's clear: "Teaching is really difficult because German is only spoken at school.

Pupils stay in their communities
Most of the children and young people stay in their communities. They talk to their parents in their mother tongue, even in the park and at the soccer club. They don't speak German outside of school. I also have an incredible number of parents who don't speak German. Reading for meaning is therefore a challenge." But there is also a lot to do apart from the language problem. Of course: "I think it's incredibly important to convey attitudes. To convey attitudes. To convey basic values." And there is still a lot missing.

Wearing the prayer cap
Islam also plays a formative role in everyday school life. Of course: "The girls' headscarves and the hijab are one thing. Recently, however, the issue has also arisen that the boys want to insist on wearing the prayer cap all day. To make their religion visible. This shows that the topic of religion really does play a role everywhere and is everywhere. It will soon be Ramadan again. Many children will be hungry and thirsty again. Many children will again suffer in their ability to concentrate. This will make it even more difficult to learn. And even more difficult to write schoolwork successfully."

Headscarf ban until the age of 14
What about the issue of veils and the headscarf in everyday school life? Sure: "You can see on the streets that the headscarf is making its way into elementary school. I've never had so many girls wearing headscarves and girls with abayas and hijabs as I have this year in the first classes. This is gaining momentum from year to year. Above all, the hijab and abaya - not just covering hair, but a cloak like this - is a political statement and not a question of faith." There is no mixture of peoples in the classes, but rather a homogeneous group that is unified by Islam. Clearly: "And you have to do something about that. I think there needs to be a ban on headscarves in schools, at least until the age of 14."

There also needs to be a ban on the abaya, says Klar. The cloak is compulsory for women in some Arab countries and is intended to conceal "feminine charms". Prayer rooms also have no place in schools, the Padagogue emphasizes: "There are a lot of things you have to do if you don't want to present an Islamic image. Every city, every country, every company has a calling card. You can see that in the clothing, for example. My school's business card on a school trip is that of an Islamic school. And that's something I don't like."  

Watch the whole interview in the video above!