One in five teachers in Vienna’s compulsory schools is not fully qualified for their role due to incomplete training, ORF has reported.

This figure has doubled in just three years, with the proportion standing at one in ten three years ago.

In the 2020/21 school year, nearly 10% of teachers lacked the necessary qualifications. By the end of the most recent school year, this figure had risen to more than 20%.

In absolute terms, this represents an increase from around 1,200 individuals to over 3,200. The issue primarily affects students, who are increasingly taking on teaching duties before completing their studies.

Marko Lüftenegger, an educational scientist at the University of Vienna and a teacher trainer, pointed out the problem, saying, “None of us would want to undergo open-heart surgery by someone who hasn’t completed their anatomy lecture and is learning on the patient. Yet in teaching, we allow this to happen. There are people who haven’t yet learned how to best convey knowledge.”

In response, Vienna’s education councillor, Christoph Wiederkehr, said that a middle-ground approach is being pursued, with applicants encouraged not to take on full-time roles too early.

The current situation has drawn criticism from the People’s Party (ÖVP), who argue that student teachers “burn out quickly” and often leave the profession after just a few years. “This is reflected in the significant rise in resignation numbers,” said Harald Zierfuß, the ÖVP’s education spokesperson.

While there were 350 resignations and contract terminations three years ago, this number has now nearly tripled, reaching almost 1,000 in a single year.