With language skills dropping, Austria extends mandatory kindergarten

CGTN Europe

As official figures say 45% of pre-schoolers can't speak German well enough to follow lessons,  Austria’s new government is set to order two years of kindergarten.   CGTN's Johannes Pleschberger reports from Vienna.

Transcript

00:00Six-year-old Mohamed is one of many Vienna-born students struggling to understand his teacher.

00:12Two years ago, 36% of Vienna's first graders did not speak enough German to follow lessons.

00:18Now that has risen to 45% according to official figures.

00:23How well did you do?

00:25And?

00:53They have been living here for a while, raising concerns that some migrant communities aren't integrating.

00:59Statistics show 60% of the children who lack German language skills were born in Vienna,

01:05and almost all of them attended preschool child care.

01:10This raises questions.

01:12Why so many reach school age unable to speak the local language?

01:16City officials and the Austrian government are blaming each other for the situation.

01:21According to experts, the lack of students' German proficiency after kindergarten

01:26is because Austria's preschool teachers are not adequately trained for today's challenges.

01:32What we need in preschool education is more highly qualified preschool teachers

01:39who know how to support the language learning process.

01:43Not only better trained teachers, but also more of them.

01:47Marie-Sophie says the government needs to act now.

01:51Teachers are burned out or quitting the job.

01:55It will be collapsing in some years.

01:59The language situation at schools is also becoming a political issue.

02:03According to recent polls, the Migration Critical Freedom Party is expected to increase its support

02:09in Vienna's upcoming municipal elections.

02:12But others say more needs to be done to offer migrant communities the chance to integrate more fully.

02:18Johannes Blechberger, CGTN, Vienna.

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