Almost half of the first graders in Vienna’s elementary schools no longer speak German

“Almost half of the first graders in Vienna’s elementary schools no longer speak German. The figures that City Councilor Wiederkehr provided in response to a request from the Vienna People’s Party are incredible and highly explosive,” said ÖVP education spokesman Harald Zierfuß.

According to a current query response to the Vienna People’s Party, in the current school year 2024/25 (deadline: October 1, 2024), out of a total of 18,722 first graders in Vienna’s public elementary schools, 45 percent of the first graders (8,342) can no longer speak German. Two years ago – in the 2022/23 school year (deadline: October 1, 2022) – this percentage was 36 percent. 61 percent of this year’s 8,342 first graders without knowledge of German were born in Austria (5,084), 24 percent even have Austrian citizenship (1,959), and on average these children attended kindergarten for 2.14 years.

“If you look at the detailed results in the districts, you have to realize that the number of extraordinary employees has already increased in seven districts. First graders are over 50 percent (!). In the 2022/23 school year there were still five districts,” said Zierfuß. Accordingly, the share of the ao. Students in the first grade in Margareten at 73.8 percent, in Favoriten at 63.1 percent, in Meidling at 53.5 percent, in Rudolfsheim-Fünfhaus at 61.8 percent, in Ottakring at 62.1 percent, in Hernals at 50.8 percent and in Brigittenau 62.7 percent.

“If the majority of children are born here, grow up, attend kindergarten for over two years and still cannot speak German when they start school, then it has nothing to do with refugee movements or positions in Vienna’s schools, but rather with the complete failure of the SPÖ and NEOS in the kindergarten area,” says Zierfuß.

“And if these children have already attended kindergarten for over two years, it is not enough to introduce a second compulsory kindergarten year for them. We need compulsory kindergarten for all children who need German support from the age of three, with massive investments and effective measures in promoting German in the kindergarten sector,” said the ÖVP education spokesman and continued: “Once again, it is clear: the promotion of German in Vienna’s kindergartens is completely failing. City Councilor Wiederkehr has sole responsibility here. Elementary education is a clear state competence in terms of legislation and enforcement. Under the term of NEOS City Councilor Wiederkehr, the conditions are not better, but the numbers are worse, the frustration of educators is greater and the opportunities for the children have become smaller.

The demands of the Vienna People’s Party have been on the table since May 2023:

1. Mandatory kindergarten attendance for children who need German support from the age of three: For children who were identified as needing German support during an initial language proficiency assessment at the age of three, attendance at kindergarten must be made compulsory so that they can continue their education successfully as regular students with all the opportunities and possibilities when they start school.
2. Language assessment of all 3-year-old children in Vienna: What is needed in advance of compulsory kindergarten from the age of three is, of course, an assessment of the language proficiency of ALL 3-year-old children in Vienna – even those who do not yet go to kindergarten. From this point on, the children’s language development must be closely monitored and explicitly encouraged.
3. Link kindergarten support to the quality of German support: The kindergarten has a clear educational mission. However, whether kindergartens fulfill this educational mission is only checked superficially. In any case, an essential quality feature would be the development of the German language skills of children whose everyday language is not German. If they do not speak enough German at the start of school to be considered regular students, funding would have to be at least partially repaid or further funding for the club would have to be generally evaluated.
4. Increase in the skilled worker-child ratio: Both at the federal level and at the Vienna level, the NEOS have submitted several applications in opposition for an increase in the skilled worker-child ratio to 1:8 or 1:10 for 3 to 6 year olds. However, as soon as he takes on government responsibility in Vienna, the responsible education councilor Wiederkehr doesn’t want to know anything about it anymore and shifts the responsibility to the federal government. In order to bring more quality to language support, a step-by-step plan is needed in the long term to get more teachers in the kindergarten groups.
5. All educators must have language support training: Since German language support in kindergarten is primarily integrated into everyday life, all specialists must have language support training. Although German language support is now integrated into basic training, all teachers who have not yet been trained need in-service training measures that are financially supported.
6. One language support person per kindergarten with language support needs: Every child with an identified need for language support MUST also receive additional qualified German support in kindergarten. To achieve this, the number of language support staff must be increased rapidly and massively. It cannot be the case that the number of language support staff in Vienna has actually stagnated for four years and that there are still not even 300 full-time employees working in Vienna’s kindergartens. The number of children who need to be looked after per language teacher has also increased massively since 2020. In fact, every kindergarten that has many children who need language support must also have its own language teacher on site.
7. C1 level for all kindergarten staff: Currently, the Vienna kindergarten regulations only require a language level of C1 for educational professionals, but not for assistants. In order to make additional use of this language support resource, a step-by-step plan must be developed so that in the future the entire kindergarten staff – including kindergarten assistants – can have a language level of C1 as a minimum requirement.