The number of registrations for home education for the 2022/2023 school year has fallen sharply compared to the previous year. According to the Ministry of Education, a total of 4,601 children were provisionally taken out of school at the end of the last day of school. This number is likely to drop even further as these ads may be withdrawn or banned. In 2021/22 there were still about 7500 cancellations.
In Austria there is no school requirement, only compulsory education. Children can also go to home lessons or to a private school with no public status (they don’t have the right to self-report, please note). However, this must be reported to the respective directorate of education – which in turn may prohibit this “if it is very likely that the …. equivalence of the lessons is not given”. Also students who have to follow a German tutor are not allowed to take home lessons.
External investigation stumbling block
Last year, 7,500 children were initially deregistered from school, three times more than in normal years, mainly because of the Corona requirements. A third of these returned during the school year. The rest had to take an external exam at the end of the school year to successfully complete the respective school level – these were promptly much worse this year than previous years, many didn’t even start and got stuck.
Even stricter rules
Due to the increased number of cancellations, the rules have been tightened this year. Since then, cancellations for the coming school year must be reported before the start of the summer holiday, previously this could be done towards the end of the holiday. In addition, the extraneus this year have been bundled together by separate committees to prevent exam tourism in schools known as “easy.” At the change of the semester, parents were also invited for ‘reflection conversations’.
“We have taken several measures to ensure the quality of home education,” said Education Minister Martin Polaschek (ÖVP) in a broadcast. “It is very gratifying that many parents are once again choosing to send their children to school rather than homeschooling them. I am convinced that learning in a classroom community with trained teachers is an essential factor for a successful teaching career.”
Deregistrations fall across the country
In Lower Austria, 1056 children were deregistered from home education for the coming school year, in Styria 838, in Upper Austria 822, in Vienna 497, in Tyrol 438, in Carinthia 339, in Salzburg 283, in Vorarlberg 209 and in Burgenland 119 all countries showed a decline.
These numbers will continue to fall. The school board prohibits registrations, for example if the children were already deregistered in the previous year and did not pass the external exams. The school year must then be repeated in the regular school. Plus, you can switch back to a public rights school at any time.
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.
