Problems in the Austrian Education System as per the OECD: High Expenditure, Low Success
A recent study by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) entitled “Education at a Glance” paints a critical picture of the Austrian education system. Despite high spending per student—US$16,604 in 2022 compared to an OECD average of US$11,843—Austria lags in key areas.
The Austrian education system is facing major challenges. / Picture: © Wikimedia Commons / Thelmadatter, CC BY-SA 3.0
The inheritance of education is particularly alarming: young adults whose parents are academics are almost four times more likely to obtain a university degree than those whose parents only completed compulsory schooling. At 38% (25- to 64-year-olds), the proportion of academics also remains below the OECD average of 41%.
Another point of criticism is the reading literacy of adults. According to the PIAAC survey 2022/2023, 31% of 25- to 64-year-olds fall into the lowest proficiency level, which severely limits their ability to understand simple texts. The proportion of young adults who are neither in education nor employment also rose slightly to 12.6%.
The “opportunity bonus” as a lever for greater equality
Education Minister Christoph Wiederkehr (NEOS) sees the study results as a “political mandate” to improve equal opportunities, as reported by ORF. The government is focusing on the opportunity bonus, which is intended to support 400 schools with special challenges with 65 million euros annually starting in fall 2026. According to Wiederkehr, the funds can be used autonomously by schools for additional staff or tutoring. Science Minister Eva-Maria Holzleitner (SPÖ) also plans to strengthen social diversity at universities with the Higher Education Strategy 2040, partly to counteract the long duration of studies in Austria.
OECD Director for Education Andreas Schleicher supports the opportunity bonus approach, but emphasizes that money alone is not enough, as reported by ORF. He advocates networking the subsidized schools with higher-performing institutions.
Court of Auditors criticizes: Teacher shortage and digital deficits
While the government announces reforms, the Court of Auditors sharply criticizes the education policy to date. In the latest report on the deployment of teaching staff, Court of Auditors President Margit Kraker criticizes the fact that the teacher shortage predicted since 2009 has been addressed with stopgap solutions rather than comprehensive strategies. The consequences are an increase in additional services, a high proportion of teaching outside the subject area, and an increase in special contracts.
Another focus of criticism is the “Klasse Job” career change program. Kraker criticizes the low rate of less than one-third of those certified who actually teach, as well as the high costs and long waiting times. Education Minister Wiederkehr responded by announcing that lateral entry would be limited to 500 places per year in the future in order to professionalize it and better tailor it to regional needs. Until now, there has been no upper limit.
The 8-point plan for digital schools has also come under criticism. The Court of Auditors criticizes the lack of clear, results-oriented goals. Despite spending nearly €141 million, the impact is unclear because the use of the purchased equipment was not monitored. The “Digital School Portal” met with low acceptance and massive cost increases, which led to its replacement by a new education portal.
Industry representatives call for speed and “compulsory education”
The Federation of Austrian Industries (IV) sees the OECD figures as a “renewed wake-up call.” Secretary General Christoph Neumayer calls for the reforms anchored in the government program—such as the compulsory second year of kindergarten and the opportunity bonus—to be implemented with determination and speed. A key concern of the IV is the rapid introduction of compulsory education. This is intended to ensure that all pupils achieve a “connectable level of competence” in the basic skills of reading, writing, and arithmetic by the eighth grade. The Austrian Federal Economic Chamber (WKÖ) has expressed a similar view in the person of Melina Schneider-Lugger. She emphasizes that high expenditure with low performance is unacceptable and sees the planned reform partnership as an opportunity to “untangle the confusion surrounding skills.”
In addition to a guarantee of education with binding minimum standards and clear support measures, the WKÖ also calls for a strengthening of career guidance. It must be provided at an early stage, be of high quality, and be mandatory in all types of schools in order to exploit the full potential of dual training. Schneider-Lugger emphasizes that apprenticeships are the “backbone of our economy” and should not be overshadowed by the debate on academic quotas.
Repeating a year: high costs, low benefits
One striking finding of the OECD study is the high number of students in Austria who are at least two years older than their classmates. In elementary school, this proportion is 5.8%, and in secondary school it is as high as 9.1%, well above the OECD average. One of the main reasons for this is students repeating a year.
OECD Director for Education Andreas Schleicher criticizes this practice, as reported by DerStandard, because repeating a year is “very expensive and also stigmatizing” and hardly leads to better performance. Instead, he recommends “early diagnosis” and targeted support, as is already common practice in most other OECD countries.