In the past school year, some 7,500 school-age children were deregistered from home education, almost three times as many as before the start of the corona pandemic. According to the Ministry of Education, a third returned to a school with public rights during the school year, the remaining nearly 5,000 students had to prove their mastery in an external exam at the end of the school year. There were significantly more fives this year. In addition, 18 percent of those who had to take the external exam in all of Austria did not even start.
It is possible for children of compulsory school age (up to 15 years) to deregister from school, because in Austria there is no obligation to go to school, only instruction. Children can therefore also attend home lessons or private school without public rights (they do not have the right to issue school reports themselves). However, an external exam must be taken at the end of the school year.
Homeschooling: lowest share in Vienna
According to data from the Ministry of Education, exactly 4,936 students have recently been enrolled in homeschooling, which is about 0.7 percent of school-age children. Another 0.1 percent of school-aged children (744) were enrolled in a private school with no public status. The highest percentage of homeschooled students was in Burgenland, Lower Austria and Styria (0.8 percent), and the lowest in Vienna (0.4). In addition, depending on the federal state, up to 0.2 percent of children attended private schools with no public status.
External exam: failed 16.7% in Carinthia
The external exams of these groups were significantly worse than before the pandemic, when the opportunity was used much less frequently: 7.7 percent of homeschoolers or students in private schools without public law were not eligible for promotion this time, in the 2019/2020 school year. 2020 they were another 2.5 percent. However, the supply in the past school year was large, depending on the state: while in Vienna 2.5 percent failed the extracurricular exam, this was 16.7 percent in Carinthia and 14.9 percent in Vorarlberg.
Exam failed: school year has to be redone
In addition, 18 percent of the participants in the external exam in all states did not even participate. The share ranged from 5.7 percent in Styria to 30.7 percent in Burgenland. Students who fail or have not passed the exam have to retake the school year – at a public law school (they have the right to issue certificates themselves, please note).
“exam tourism”
Due to the sharp increase in school drop-out and the sometimes emotional debates about the corona measures in schools, the external exams were bundled this year by separate committees. According to the Ministry of Education, this worked “smoothly” and the model must now be definitively adopted. Previously, extraneus could be taken at almost any location. However, as a measure against “exam tourism”, the decree was issued last autumn that the examination locations are now determined by the education authorities.
School cancellations: rules are being tightened
In addition to the exam for extraneus, the ministry had tightened up the rules for school dropouts in 2022: shortly before the semester break, a “reflection meeting” on the child’s performance and learning progress was held between the responsible school management and the legal guardians or children. In addition, school cancellations for the next school year must now be announced before the start of the summer holidays.
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.
