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Children aged 5 or 6 must be enrolled in kindergarten 1 year before school enrolment. Attendance must be at least 16-20 hours per week on at least 4 days and is free of charge. Fees are charged for excursions and meals. Exceptions to compulsory kindergarten attendance are e.g. medical reasons, children with disabilities.[1]
School attendance is mandatory for all children living permanently in Austria until they have finished 9 study cycles, which are usually completed at the age of 15. Asylum seeking children attend primary and secondary school after their asylum application has been admitted to the regular procedure. As long as they reside in the initial reception centre of the state, school attendance in public schools is not provided, however. Preparatory classes are usually set up where many children have a poor knowledge of the German language. Schools often register pupils without sufficient knowledge of the German language as extraordinary pupils for a maximum period of 12 months.
Access to education for asylum seekers older than 15 may become difficult, however, as schooling is not compulsory after the age of 15 for asylum seekers. Moreover, children who did not attend the mandatory school years in Austria have difficulties in continuing their education. For those unaccompanied children, who have not successfully finished the last mandatory school year, special courses are available free of charge. For children accompanied by their family, this possibility is often not available for free. In 2023, the labour market service launched the youth college together with the city of Vienna. This is an educational opportunity for young people and young adults aged 15-25 and is primarily intended to support those who are no longer subject to compulsory schooling. It also has the effect that this educational measure provides a daily structure and gives prospects for future jobs or studies.[2]
According to a law that entered into force on 1 August 2017, young people under the age of 18 who have completed the 9-year schooling and who are permanent residents in Austria are obliged to pursue education or training.[3] However, this law is not applied to asylum seekers, despite criticism from NGOs and the Chamber of Employment for failing to address a problematic aspect of integration and education policy.[4] In October 2019, the Federal Youth Association (Bundesjugendvertretung) called for the inclusion of underage asylum seekers as target group of the law.[5] Nevertheless, they can benefit from a wide range of language and literacy courses. In Vienna,[6] the educational hub arranges course places for literacy courses, German courses, and basic education. There are also special courses available for women and mothers. At a few high schools, transitional courses are organised in order to prepare for regular classes. Free language courses are further offered in refugee homes and by NGOs. However, these courses are not always sufficient in terms of time and quality. Language courses are only accessible to asylum seekers when the government has sufficient financial resources.[7]
In the fall of 2023, the high number of family reunifications in Austria led to schools being overwhelmed. Vienna, in particular, as the capital city, was severely affected. Many schools and teachers describe that it is difficult to integrate school-age children into regular school life. Many children have often been in refugee camps for months or years and had no chance to attend regular schools, and must first be slowly introduced to the institution of school. Many children are not literate in their first language and sometimes bring with them multiple traumas and have problems concentrating.[8] Above all, there is a lack of additional staff for children who do not have German as their first language. Additionally, effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and the overall shortage of teachers in the country – as many teachers will be retiring in the next few years – negatively impact on the quality of educational services offered.[9]
[1] Agreement in accordance with Art. 15a B-VG on the introduction of half-day free and compulsory early support in institutional childcare facilities, available in German at: https://bit.ly/3JJM8Gw.
[2] Stadt Wien, “Jugendcollege”, available in German at: https://bit.ly/3JGNUs3.
[3] Article 3, Ausbildungspflichtgesetz (ApflG), BGBl. I Nr 120/2016, available at: http://bit.ly/2lkgXsh.
[4] Employment Office of Upper Austria, ‘Ausbildungspflicht bis 18: AK fordert Nachbesserungen’, 19 August 2016, available in German at: http://bit.ly/2kNmJSc.
[5] APA-OTS, ‘Bundesjugendvertretung: Ausbildungspflicht für alle öffnen!’,28 October 2019, available in German at: https://bit.ly/2vOy2RB.
[6] VHS, “StartWien – Integration ab Tag 1”, available in German at: https://bit.ly/3QtNV6p.
[7] Fonds Soziales Wien, “Bildung”, available in German at: https://bit.ly/3UEZA4M.
[8] Wien ORF.at, ‘Tausende ukrainische Kinder neu in Schulen’, 8 January 2024, available in German at: https://bit.ly/49WEQtG.
[9] Kleine Zeitung, “”Viele schmeißen hin, es ist eine totale Überlastung””, 11 May 2023, available in German at: https://bit.ly/3y9ekjk.