Protesters demand stronger support for inclusive education in Carinthia

A demonstration for an inclusive education system took place in Klagenfurt on Thursday, with organisers calling for more support for children with special educational needs and criticising the government’s spending cuts, ORF reported.

Under the slogan “Education for all, not opportunities for a few,” protesters called for children and young people to learn together as much as possible. Birgit Bierbaumer, chairwoman of Inklusion Kärnten, said everyone had the right to education, regardless of age, background or whether they had a disability. She warned that federal government spending cuts threatened inclusion.

Bierbaumer said inclusion had to begin “in people’s heads and hearts,” adding that funding could follow when people supported the idea: “If the head and the heart say yes, you can always find ways.”

The demonstration called for an end to the 2.7 per cent cap on special educational support, which limits the funding available for special educational measures. Organisers also want assistance to be provided according to need, regardless of diagnosis. Bierbaumer said this was particularly important in Carinthia so that people who urgently need support could receive it.