At the start of the new school year, here is what I wish for

At the start of the school year, the first wish is simple: return to the essentials. By the end of compulsory schooling, every 15-year-old should be able to read and write, handle basic English, calculate fractions and percentages, and understand the basics of Austria and its democracy.

That list also includes less easily tested skills: listening, asking questions, presenting arguments and behaving politely. If every young person finds one subject that genuinely fascinates them during nine years of school, that would already be a major achievement.

The article challenges the rigid timetable that moves teachers and children from one class to another every 50 minutes. The 50-minute lesson is not required by law, but timetable software, payroll systems and habit keep it firmly embedded in everyday school life. Students also need alternatives to spending the entire day in the same room with the same classmates. Some find the noise overwhelming, others struggle with the need to move, and some withdraw inwardly. Self-chosen learning spaces, quiet rooms and time-out classes could offer a better approach.

The article also urges people to stop treating the AHS and its final exam as the only prestigious route. Most people in Austria follow other paths, including vocational schools, apprenticeships, workplace learning, evening school and professional qualification exams. Fixation on the AHS creates stress, makes families unhappy and can obscure careers that might suit young people better. The piece adds a final plea: report problems in public schools clearly, but stop turning so-called troubled schools into voyeuristic horror stories. “Our” children are simply children, in all their differences.

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Please focus more on the essentials, end the fixation on the AHS and stop the rigid 50-minute lessons!