Education Minister Martin Polaschek (ÖVP) made it clear on Tuesday that there will be no restrictions on education at universities in response to the energy crisis. The crisis plans of the universities in no way provide for a ‘lockdown’ and a shift to distance learning. But there are already good suggestions for saving energy, for example through better use of space, according to the minister.
The additional funds requested by the universities were also discussed on Tuesday in the Science Committee of the National Council, which recently announced an additional need of 1.2 billion euros due to the increased costs. According to Polaschek, budget negotiations with the Minister of Finance, which focus on adjusting the cost of living for universities and colleges, will soon be completed.
Reluctance at colleges
He was more cautious about the colleges, which had called for a 20 percent increase in funding per study place. He is well aware of the financial situation of the universities of applied sciences, but there is a different support structure here. The federal funds for the colleges are for education and research, infrastructure must be paid for by the providers (eg chambers, states, cities or the military). The process for a new development and financing plan for the technical college has been underway since May. The design should be revised by the end of this year or at the beginning of next year at the latest.
Great interest in ethics
In addition, according to feedback from the universities, Polaschek reported great interest in the ethics teacher training course, the registration period is still running. Since the 2021/22 school year, ethics must be followed by all 5th grade AHS or 1st grade BMHS students who have withdrawn from denominational religious education or have no religious affiliation.
decisions taken
The committee then passed by a majority of 15 an agreement outlining the funding and areas of responsibility of the new Institute of Digital Sciences Austria (IDSA), the new Linz Technical University. A resolution was also unanimously passed to evaluate training opportunities for Austrian sign language interpreters. Training should be made more attractive and the number of graduates increased in order to better meet future needs.
Source: Krone
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