With the onset of Hamas terror in Israel, the violent excesses in Vienna’s schools have become even more intense. But the problem goes deeper. The city is now tightening the measures.
Austria is a tolerant country. But this is sometimes shamelessly abused. Religious and violent ideologies are increasingly finding their way into classrooms. The situation has been particularly tense since the Hamas attack on Israel in early October. But the spiral of violence in schools was already turning before that. The number of suspensions and reports is increasing, which is also reflected in the current figures (see graph). While 334 suspensions were issued in the 2018/2019 school year, last year there were 814. During the pandemic, a decrease was obviously observed in school closures. Similar to the advertisements in Viennese schools: in 2021/2022 there were 139 – despite the pandemic and school closures. Last year there were already 528 advertisements in Viennese schools. Moral guardians in schools For months, teachers and teacher representatives have pointed out the grievances and appealed to politicians. Trade unionist Thomas Krebs: “We have more and more students who bring political or religious extremist attitudes to school and who reject and mock our values and the rule of law.” According to Krebs, extremism is mainly Islamic or orthodox. Teachers and school directors are not taken seriously and are regularly insulted because of their gender. Self-appointed moral guardians try to establish a parallel authority in schools, for example by vehemently demanding prayer rooms or controlling the behavior and clothing of girls in particular and unconsciously putting pressure on the students. respond and present a comprehensive package to protect against violence. The intervention teams are being expanded enormously, school social work and collaboration and intercultural teams are being expanded. In the event of suspensions, mandatory conversations with parents and children will take place in the future – apparently not self-evident. Violence training will also be expanded and parents of distrustful students must be made more responsible. That is why the places for the “Family at School” project are being expanded from 220 to 800 places. Federal Policy RequirementsIn general, schools and teachers often have their hands tied when dealing with violent students. The city of Vienna and the Directorate of Education are therefore calling for more efforts from the federal government. For example, the subject of democracy and ethics should be made compulsory in primary schools.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
