TIROLER DAILY NEWSPAPER "Editorial" from July 6, 2023 by Anita Heubacher "Half a day doesn't fill a gap"

2023-07-05 20:00:33

Innsbruck (OTS) – Before the summer holidays, certificates will be distributed in Austria. This has not been good for education policy for years. Education is inherited, a quarter of 15-year-olds cannot read properly. Nevertheless, reforms remain small reforms.

Nine weeks vacation. Children and teachers are allowed to take a break. Whether they are still contemporary in this length or are simply preserved seems less important in this country. For many, nine weeks of vacation in a row reflect the reality of life from the past. It has little to do with the practice, in which both partners work more and more often.
But Austria’s education policy is still primarily geared towards keeping everything the way it is. The debate is ideological rather than educational. The big question should be whether our education system manages to give children good tools for the future. In Austria, this applies to those children whose parents teach them in the afternoon or can at least afford the private tuition. Out of 100 academic children, 81 complete their high school diploma and 57 complete a master’s degree. Seven out of 100 workers’ children complete their studies. So education is inherited. If, at the end of a compulsory school career, it turns out that a quarter of 15-year-olds in Austria cannot read properly, then a real reform should be on the agenda. Incidentally, our school system produces products that bypass the labor market. Many academics without an adequate job, too few skilled workers.
What could such a reform look like? Some education experts see a solution in the all-day school. Just a few days ago you saw how popular it is in Austria. According to the Ministry of Education, less than a third of the pupils attend an all-day school. The bandwidth ranges from almost half of the six to 14 year olds in Vienna to almost 16 percent in Tyrol.
All-day schools can do a lot of what politicians are currently giving parents. Above all, they would ensure more equal opportunities. If you don’t like it out of pure charity, then maybe for economic reasons. In order to be able to run an all-day school successfully, the teaching profession would probably have to be transferred to the future. Eight-hour working days at the school would require a modern school as a modern workplace. There is still a lot to do.
A reform requires a lot of money and a departure from deadlocked patterns by many adult participants. But if you look at the debate about the funding of Austrian universities, there is little hope. The summer holidays will be long and so will the attempts to do part-time education.