Tyrol NEOS Leader Opposes Education Minister's Plan to Delay Student Laptops

Birgit Obermüller, the Tyrol state chairwoman for Austria's NEOS party, has voiced opposition to a proposal by fellow NEOS member and Education Minister Christoph Wiederkehr. The minister's plan suggests delaying the distribution of subsidized student laptops from the 5th to the 6th grade, starting in autumn 2027.

Obermüller, who is also a former school principal, stated that the proposed change would disrupt educational concepts already developed by some schools. "Some schools have already aligned their educational concepts with the student laptops," she explained, emphasizing that these schools had made prior preparations based on the initiative.

She advocates for greater autonomy for schools, suggesting that individual institutions should decide the appropriate grade level for introducing the laptops. "We have recommended to the Ministry of Education that school autonomy should be better lived," Obermüller said, adding that consideration should be given to the groundwork already laid by schools. She expressed hope that the Ministry of Education would work on revising the plan during the summer.

Beyond this educational issue, Obermüller praised the NEOS party's work within the governing coalition. She defended the party's leadership, particularly party leader and Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger, against criticism, stating that it was unrealistic for a party with around 10% support to expect all its demands to be met. She also justified the party's decision to expel MP Veit Dengler, citing a "breach of trust" related to leaked recordings from a party meeting and his vote against the budget.