2024-02-01 04:18:14
In order to teach at a middle school, you used to have to decide on a main subject (German, mathematics, English) and a minor subject during your studies. Since the reform of teacher training in 2016/17, the combination of subjects has been freely selectable. As a result, however, according to the top teachers’ union Paul Kimberger (FCG), it became more difficult to staff the main subjects with trained staff. He therefore wants compulsory major studies once more.
“The smaller the location, the more difficult it is to organize lessons,” said compulsory school teacher representative Kimberger in an interview with the APA. The result is more non-subject teaching. The teachers’ representatives had already warned of this development before the introduction of joint training for middle school teachers and AHS and BMHS teachers. However, an obligation to study at least one major subject might not be implemented at the time due to the autonomy of the universities, which since the reform have been responsible for teacher training in secondary school together with the universities of teacher education. “I think very much of the previous structure that there had to be a major subject.”
Because of the small structures, especially in the federal states, non-subject teaching will not be brought to zero in Austria. “It won’t work, and especially not at the moment given the lack of staff.” However, there are ideas and concepts such as requiring a major subject to at least reduce it, says Kimberger.
Kimberger is also skeptical regarding the “protective measures” planned by the government to prevent young teachers from burning out. Among other things, there is a ban on non-subject teaching. “We have to ensure that school operations can be secured throughout Austria. We need the necessary flexibility and this probably won’t work without a certain amount of non-subject teaching.”
Non-subject teaching is particularly an issue in middle schools, which are often significantly smaller compared to AHS. Even before the change to the new service law (optional for young teachers from 2015 and mandatory from 2019), it was common practice in middle schools for teachers to teach subjects for which they actually had no training. Under the new service law, teachers of all types of schools can be required to teach non-subjects for up to one semester for “important business reasons”.
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