Carinthia welcomes 67,400 pupils under new school rules

Some 67,400 pupils began the new school year in Carinthia on Monday, with new rules including a headscarf ban for girls up to the age of 14 and mandatory support for pupils suspended over violence or serious misconduct, ORF reported.

A total of 5,252 children started school for the first time, while almost 2,500 young people entered their final year before the Matura. Pupil numbers have continued to decline slightly, as in previous years. The number of teaching posts has also fallen, with 7,342 teachers now returning to classrooms.

The headscarf ban is expected to be the most widely debated change. According to the Carinthian education directorate, 47 girls in the state wore a headscarf most recently. Lawyers have argued that a legal challenge could overturn the law because it calls the state’s ideological neutrality into question.

Pupils suspended because of violence or serious misconduct must now receive support during their suspension. Teachers, social workers or psychologists will prepare them to return to everyday school life. The number of such suspensions has risen significantly in recent years.

Schools facing particular challenges, including a high proportion of pupils from migrant backgrounds, will receive additional funding for support staff for the first time through the Education Ministry’s so-called opportunities bonus. In Carinthia, six primary schools and two lower secondary schools in Klagenfurt and Villach are expected to benefit. Schools also now have more flexibility in organising German-language support.

The Austrian Transport Club urged drivers to take extra care around schools. Last year, 54 children were injured in school-route accidents in Carinthia.