First youth parliament in the newly renovated parliament building

2023-04-21 17:29:15

Pupils from Vienna and Burgenland met on the topic “School and digitization”

Vienna (PK) – For the first time since the renovation of the parliament building, the President of the National Council, Wolfgang Sobotka, invited schoolchildren to the youth parliament in the High House on the Ring. Five 9th grade school classes from Vienna and Burgenland had the opportunity today to slip into the role of MPs and discuss a fictitious legislative proposal on the subject of “schools and digitization”.

The aim of the youth parliament is to make democratic decision-making processes tangible and parliamentary processes comprehensible for young people. To this end, as in everyday parliamentary life, clubs are formed, draft laws are discussed in committees and then discussed and voted on in the plenum. Throughout the day, the young people were assisted by Parliament staff to support them in their work. They were also advised by members of the National Council Christoph Stark (ÖVP), Eva Maria Holzleitner (SPÖ), Christian Ries (FPÖ), Sibylle Hamann (Greens) and Martina Künsberg Sarre (NEOS). National Council President Sobotka led through the parliamentary session.

The students could opt-in to participate

from January 30th to March 8th, 2023 with contributions on the question “What does democracy mean for you and your classmates?” apply. A jury of experts chose from the 33 applications, in which around 800 students from the 9th grade of the commercial school Neusiedl/See, the BRG Mattersburg and the HTL Pinkafeld from Burgenland as well as the Gymnasium am Augarten and the fashion school Hetzendorf took part.

Debate on the opportunities and risks of digitization for schools

In the plenary debate, the students addressed a wide variety of aspects of the digitization of teaching. While some “deputies” emphasized the importance of integrating digital methods into the classroom for the future viability of the students, others expressed concerns about the health effects or compatibility with the different types of learners. The question of whether purely digital lessons promote “social isolation” and thus have a negative effect on social cohesion was also addressed by the young people, some of whom were hearing impaired. Finally, the majority of participants spoke out in favor of a “Digital Teaching Materials Act”. The law means that textbooks, worksheets and other reading material must be made available in digital form from the 5th grade. Ecological considerations and the issue of production conditions in the manufacture of end devices also played a role in the discussion.

In the previous club and committee meetings, the students had to find alliances and cross-party compromises or convince the “political opponents” of their own views in order to finally make the “legislative proposal” ready for plenary. Several amendments to the fictitious law were also accepted by the young people. For example, the majority of them spoke out in favor of a better digital infrastructure in schools, for students being free to choose whether digital teaching materials are used, for digital training for teachers and for preventive health measures. In addition, the young people also considered questions of practicability and accepted corresponding applications for financing the end devices and the introduction date of the digital teaching materials.

President of the National Council Sobotka and members of parliament enthusiastic about “differentiated debate”

Christoph Stark (ÖVP), who was impressed by what he saw as constructive and targeted discussions, spoke of a “remarkable meeting”. Contrary to the cliché that young people follow “the call of digitization” without thinking, the debate was differentiated and took place with “a lot of vision”.

SPÖ mandater Eva Maria Holzleitner particularly emphasized the wide range of topics that the students brought up. Even the real MPs could take some of the students with them into their own work, she said, praising the courage it takes to speak in the House.

Christian Ries (FPÖ) also expressed his enthusiasm for the students’ commitment to this “difficult subject”, which has many facets, as the club and committee meetings had already demonstrated. The participants could have gained an understanding of the “complex background work” of the parliamentarians.

Sibylle Hamann from the Greens “trembled” with the participants in the youth parliament, as she reported in the plenum. It has become clear that what is said does not always have to correspond to what is understood. Hamann was particularly pleased about the “unexpected formation of a coalition” in the course of the deliberations.

President of the National Council Sobotka also expressed his delight at the differentiated debate and particularly emphasized the sentence made in the plenary session “No education is more expensive than education”. In the digital sector, society has “come under pressure”, especially due to the latest developments in the field of artificial intelligence. The young generation in particular now needs the necessary knowledge to understand the underlying mechanisms and, if necessary, to be able to set limits. Sobotka appealed to the young people that it was now their task to preserve democracy as the guarantor of freedom and prosperity. It doesn’t matter in which sectors you find yourself in the future – politics affects everyone. (end youth parliament) wit

NOTE: You can find photos of the Youth Parliament on the Parliament’s web portal.