The number of students who switched to homeschooling, i.e. left school early, during the corona pandemic has tripled. The education department has responded by tightening up the rules. The teachers’ union is now demanding a statement on the latest rule change for the complete end of homeschooling.
In 2021, 7500 students were homeschooled. In Austria there is no compulsory schooling, only compulsory education. Children can also attend private schools without public status, which are not allowed to issue school reports themselves. Even at its peak in 2021, only about one percent of students through ninth grade were enrolled in homeschooling, and there has been a significant decline since then.
At the start of this school year, there were only about 4,000. At the end of the school year, an external study must demonstrate that the learning objectives have been achieved. The Directorate of Education may also prohibit homeschooling “if it is highly likely that the (…) education is not of equal value”.
New rule against exam tourism
In response to the relatively high number of deregistrations, the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science has tightened up the rules for the previous school year: deregistrations for the following school year must now not only be reported at the end of the holiday at the beginning of the summer holiday. To prevent exam tourism in well-known “easy” schools, separate committees conduct external exams.
With the current change, for which the assessment period has recently ended, these regulations are partly renewed: When deregistering, it must be stated not only who teaches (leads) the child, but also the place of instruction. In addition, a “summary of the pedagogical concept for the lesson” must be submitted.
Teachers demand compulsory education
In its statement, the union of compulsory education teachers now even speaks of the legal anchoring of compulsory education. The union sees the usefulness of parents and other people who are allowed to teach the children without any pedagogical and didactic training against the role of teacher training.
MFG sees “attack on constitutional law”
The anti-corona measures party MFG sees it very differently: “This is an attack on the constitutionally guaranteed right to home education”. Since the child is central, according to the definition no pedagogical concept with annual planning is required. Whether the lessons at home are equivalent to those at public law schools will in any case be checked during the external exam. The MFG demands full equality between home and school children. Many of the more than 700 propositions that private individuals have submitted to the bill are similar.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
