Ministry of Education, teacher, student and parent representatives are discussing the future of Austria’s schools with Allianz Bildungsmedien
Vienna (OTS) – The Austrian Educational Media Alliance invited people to a lively exchange about the schools of tomorrow: at the 8th ABÖ Café yesterday evening in Vienna, educational media providers met with representatives of the teachers’ union, the parents’ association, the student council and the Ministry of Education in a panel discussion. In particular, the profound changes in teaching and learning caused by digitalization as well as solutions to structural challenges such as a shortage of teachers and excessive bureaucracy were discussed intensively.
Markus Spielmann, Managing Director of Helbling Verlag and President of the Austrian Educational Media Alliance, was pleased about the participation of representatives from all relevant sides: “We now have a great opportunity to sit together at the same table and say what each and every one of us needs. We are united by a common goal: We want Austria’s students to receive the best possible instruction that equips them with the essential skills they will need for the rest of their lives!”
Mag. Martin Netzer, Secretary General of the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research, first explained the current measures that the Ministry of Education is taking with regard to the major structural challenges – keyword shortage of teachers: “The ‘klasse:job’ initiative has proven to be a great success and shows that educational work with children and young people is an attractive career field for many people. Around 7,000 people have applied for lateral entry, 3,300 are already certified and can contribute their expertise and experience to the school system. In addition, there has been a 17 percent increase in new students taking up teaching this academic year, meaning that, fortunately, significantly more young people are once again interested in this profession. More than 6,000 teaching positions are advertised throughout Austria for the coming school year. This makes the education sector the largest employer in the Republic.”
It was also emphasized how important well-qualified teachers are for the success of successful teaching Mag. Roland Gangl, federal chairman of the BMHS union and deputy chairman of the ARGE teachers in the public service union. “For this, educators need appropriate framework conditions, for example in the area of IT infrastructure. The installation and maintenance of hardware and software or cybersecurity measures must be carried out by additional specialist personnel,” says Gangl.
Xaver Eicher, deputy federal school spokesman and AHS area spokesman, reported on the biggest issues from the students’ perspective: “Our increasingly dynamic world also brings with it many challenges for us students. From dealing with AI to knowledge about democracy, there are many things that should find more space in schools. It would also be desirable to have more freedom of choice and flexibility in teaching so that everyone can focus on their own strengths.”
It was pointed out that parents also sometimes face problems that are difficult to overcome Ing. M. Evelyn Kometter, Chairwoman of the Austrian Association of Parents’ Associations at Compulsory Public Schoolsand called for more commitment to joint solutions: “Hot issues at all school locations in Austria can only be solved together and if everyone involved pulls together!”
All participants agreed that digitalization is an opportunity and a challenge at the same time. Paul Beyer Klinkosch, co-founder of Schubu Systems, referred to the advantages that new systems for acquiring and passing on knowledge bring with them, but also confirmed the relevance of quality-assured educational media: “The work that the OeAD is doing with the seal of quality is excellent! It would therefore be urgently necessary for this quality assurance measure to mean that digital teaching and learning materials can also be ordered from the school book campaign in the same way as traditional school books. This is the only way we can ensure that the public sector’s high investments in digital infrastructure, such as laptops and tablets for children, are also fulfilled with meaning through appropriate digital content.”
The exciting exchange, which was followed by more than 50 members of the Educational Media Alliance, was continued after the official panel discussion in an intensive question and answer session with the audience.
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