After funding for private kindergartens was discussed in Vienna’s City Council on Tuesday, early childhood education was once again at the center of parliamentary debate on Wednesday. During a special session of the Vienna State Parliament, German-language support was discussed following a motion by the Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP). The party focused in particular on the high number of “extraordinary” students in Vienna. Many of them had attended kindergarten, critics noted.
Debate on German-Language Support in Vienna State Parliament
Students are classified as “extraordinary” if they cannot adequately follow lessons due to insufficient German skills. ÖVP parliamentary group leader Harald Zierfuß criticized the fact that, when preschool children are included, half of all school entrants fall into this category. This, he said, should prompt a fundamental rethink, especially since many of these children were born in Austria and attended kindergarten there.
Zierfuß questioned how it could be possible for six-year-olds to have such poor German skills that they cannot even understand their teachers. “This is a declaration of bankruptcy by the city government of the SPÖ and NEOS,” he said. He called for language assessments to be conducted at age three and for mandatory kindergarten attendance to be increased where language support is needed. He also demanded an expansion of German-language support staff, accusing NEOS education city councilor Bettina Emmerling of failing to meet her own targets.
Greens See Failure in German-Language Support
Green Party state lawmaker Felix Stadler also urged the city government to act. “Finally pursue courageous and effective education policy,” he said. German-language support was failing, he argued: “It simply doesn’t work.” Affected children would have fewer opportunities, he warned. Stadler said the Greens also support a second mandatory year of kindergarten, but stressed that this does not compensate for the lack of effective language support.
FPÖ lawmaker Bernd Saurer likewise pointed to major language deficits in kindergartens. “Mass immigration has also put pressure on early childhood education,” he said. The problems would not simply disappear when children start school. “They are carried over and overwhelm elementary schools from day one.” He cited staff shortages in kindergartens as a key factor and criticized spending cuts in early childhood education.
City Government Defends Existing Measures
NEOS education spokesperson Dolores Bakos said she was also “shocked” by the figures. She attributed them in part to family reunification, which had brought 300 additional children into the education system. She also referred to the war in Ukraine. “An authoritarian despot attacked a neighboring country,” she said, noting that thousands of students had come to Austria as a result. “All of this ties up resources.” At the same time, she said, important initiatives such as summer German courses had been launched. Bakos also credited NEOS Education Minister Christoph Wiederkehr with doubling the number of German-language support staff. “It shows we are not looking away,” she said.
SPÖ lawmaker Nikola Poljak expressed confidence that language acquisition works best in kindergarten. He said he himself had learned German there. “This is where real German-language support happens,” he said. Learning together was essential. “We have problems, we see them, we acknowledge them, and we are turning every screw we can,” he promised, pointing to efforts to increase language support staff. Poljak was skeptical of language testing at too early an age, arguing that three-year-olds still have a very limited vocabulary.
