Lower Austria lacks special education teachers despite filled posts

All teaching positions in Lower Austria are expected to be filled in the coming school year, but the province still lacks adequately trained special education teachers, ORF reported on Sunday. The provincial government is calling on the federal government to restore dedicated training places for special education.

About 6,000 pupils with special educational needs attend compulsory schools in Lower Austria, according to Education Minister Christiane Teschl-Hofmeister. They account for 5.1 percent of all compulsory school pupils. About half are taught in special schools.

Roughly 1,600 full-time employees currently work in special education, including about 1,100 in special schools. However, the Lower Austrian education directorate said only half have specialised training. The others completed only a specialisation as part of the new teacher training programme. The number of specially trained teachers is also declining as staff retire.

The positions can be filled for the coming school year through staff assignments and additional teaching duties performed by teachers without special education qualifications. Teschl-Hofmeister said the federal government should reintroduce a standalone special education programme because pupils with special educational needs require highly trained professionals.

The minister also criticised the federal government for not funding support for all compulsory school pupils with special educational needs. At present, federal funding covers about half of them, based on 2.7 percent rather than 5 percent. The province must cover the remainder through reallocations.

The Education Ministry said the calculation basis is set out in the Fiscal Equalisation Act and can be changed only through negotiations between the federal government and the provinces. It also said the 2.7 percent figure does not refer exclusively to compulsory school pupils. When calculated for the compulsory schools where pupils with special educational needs are actually taught, the figure is about 3.65 percent.

There is no general teacher shortage in Lower Austria, according to the report. In primary schools, substantially more applicants are seeking the advertised positions than there are vacancies.