Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07VIENNA2960
2007-12-17 15:16:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Vienna
Cable title:
AUSTRAIN EDUCATION MINISTER RECOMMENDS BILINGUAL
how-toVZCZCXRO3709 RR RUEHAG RUEHDF RUEHIK RUEHLZ RUEHROV DE RUEHVI #2960 3511516 ZNR UUUUU ZZH R 171516Z DEC 07 FM AMEMBASSY VIENNA TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9176 INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES
UNCLAS VIENNA 002960
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE FOR EUR/AGS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PHUM AU
SUBJECT: AUSTRAIN EDUCATION MINISTER RECOMMENDS BILINGUAL
INSTRUCTION AS INTEGRATION MEASURE
UNCLAS VIENNA 002960
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE FOR EUR/AGS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PHUM AU
SUBJECT: AUSTRAIN EDUCATION MINISTER RECOMMENDS BILINGUAL
INSTRUCTION AS INTEGRATION MEASURE
1. Following a December 13 summit of more than 100 education
officials and experts to discuss planned reforms of the Austrian
school system, Education Minister Claudia Schmied (Social Democrat
Party) proposed that the integration of immigrant children could be
enhanced by teaching certain subjects in the students' mother
tongue. Language competence of students in their mother tongue was
crucial for the acquisition of their second language, argued
Schmied. In international comparative studies of educational
achievement, second-generation immigrant children born in Austria
had performed worse than immigrant children born abroad.
2. As a next step, Schmied announced a campaign to recruit more
bilingual German/Turkish and German/Serbo-croatian teachers.
Schmied will also establish a department for integration issues in
the Education Ministry, merging the existing divisions for language
promotion, intercultural issues, and integration.
3. While the Vienna City Councillor for Integration Issues Sandra
Frauenberger (Social Democrat) welcomed Schmied's plans, which
"illustrated Austria's commitment as immigration country,"
representatives from the right-wing/populist Freedom Party (FPO)
stressed that integration could primarily be achieved by learning
German. Ongoing mother-tongue instruction for students in Vienna
schools had already proven to be unsuccessful, argued the FPO,
underscoring that students must learn German before entering school.
KILNER
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE FOR EUR/AGS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PHUM AU
SUBJECT: AUSTRAIN EDUCATION MINISTER RECOMMENDS BILINGUAL
INSTRUCTION AS INTEGRATION MEASURE
1. Following a December 13 summit of more than 100 education
officials and experts to discuss planned reforms of the Austrian
school system, Education Minister Claudia Schmied (Social Democrat
Party) proposed that the integration of immigrant children could be
enhanced by teaching certain subjects in the students' mother
tongue. Language competence of students in their mother tongue was
crucial for the acquisition of their second language, argued
Schmied. In international comparative studies of educational
achievement, second-generation immigrant children born in Austria
had performed worse than immigrant children born abroad.
2. As a next step, Schmied announced a campaign to recruit more
bilingual German/Turkish and German/Serbo-croatian teachers.
Schmied will also establish a department for integration issues in
the Education Ministry, merging the existing divisions for language
promotion, intercultural issues, and integration.
3. While the Vienna City Councillor for Integration Issues Sandra
Frauenberger (Social Democrat) welcomed Schmied's plans, which
"illustrated Austria's commitment as immigration country,"
representatives from the right-wing/populist Freedom Party (FPO)
stressed that integration could primarily be achieved by learning
German. Ongoing mother-tongue instruction for students in Vienna
schools had already proven to be unsuccessful, argued the FPO,
underscoring that students must learn German before entering school.
KILNER