• austriantimes.at
• croatiantimes.com
• romaniantimes.at
• salzburgtimes.at

Today

• Vienna - Unknown Underground
• Vienna - Childrens Fun
• Vienna - Childrens Fun
• Vienna - Palais Lichtenstein

© Stadtschulrat für Wien / Martina Draper

23. 03. 12. - 16:00

• more General News news
• RSS Feed General News

23. 03. 12. - 16:00

Anti-truancy official for Vienna

Horst Tschaikner has been named head of Vienna’s new anti-truancy office.

The secondary modern teacher was asked to work on concepts to lower the number of cases of truancy in the Austrian capital, Viennese education issues chief Susanne Brandsteidl said yesterday (Thurs). Brandsteidl claimed that some students were "coming and going like in a cafe". She praised Tschaikner as a down to earth teacher and stressed that the city’s new anti-truancy ambassador was not "some snobby politician with an official car".

Tschaikner explained yesterday he planned to create a guide for headmasters, teachers and parents to help them in finding the root for kids’ misbehaviour. The Hauptschule academic added that intense analytical efforts would be made to determine the major causes of truancy which is rampant at some schools and many districts of the city.

"Skipping lessons is not a trivial offence," Brandsteidl said. She warned the government from introducing higher penalties for such offences. Brandsteidl claimed that harsher fines would not solve any of the numerous problems of misbehaving children and their families. Viennese teachers informed their superiors about 500 serious offences of educational laws by pupils in 2005. More than 1,100 grave cases of misbehaviour like repetitive truancy occurred between January and September 2011, according to figures provided by Viennese education authorities.

Brandsteidl’s appeal to abstain from jacking up fines for truancy comes shortly after the federal integration secretary claimed such steps were unavoidable. Sebastian Kurz of the conservative People’s Party (ÖVP) said it had to be avoided that so many youngsters were causing serious harm to their future prospects by staying away from classes on a regular basis.

Kurz suggested to raise the maximum fine from 220 to around 1,500 Euros. He said German education institutions were succeeding in their combat against widespread truancy thanks to high penalties. The state secretary underlined that tougher fines could only be one of many aspects of a possible reform of the current anti-truancy measures.

Social Democratic (SPÖ) Labour and Social Affairs Minister Rudolf Hundstorfer dismissed the state secretary’s appeal to increase the maximum fine to 1,500 Euros. Hundstorfer said he could imagine backing plans to raise the sum from the current 220 Euros to twice this amount.

The labour minister said the government coalition should focus on prevention and awareness programmes. He called for support to increase the budget of Austria’s various youth coaching and traineeships programmes to lower the number of Austrian NEETs. The term describes people aged between 16 and 24 who are neither in education, employment or traineeship. There are around 75,000 NEETs in Austria – which has an overall unemployment rate of 4.1 per cent – at the moment.

Vienna Times

Related articles: Vienna focus

1. A night of glitz and glamour at Vienna Filmball 2013

   » Panorama 2013-03-18

   Glamour and glitz were out in force at the weekend as stars from Austria and further afield flocked over the red carpet into the Vienna City Hall for a night of awards, dance and partying!

2. Bonbon Ball crowns Miss Bonbon 2013!

   » Panorama 2013-02-11

   By far the sweetest event in the Vienna Ball season - the Bonbon Ball took place this weekend.

3. Demonstration to remain in front of Votiv Kirche

   » General News 2012-12-19

   Following lack of progress made by talks between representatives of the Church, the charity Caritas and refugee activists at the Votiv Kirche in Vienna, protesters are set to stay camped outside the building.

4. Man goes on supermarket axe rampage

   » General News 2012-12-19

   A supermarket worker and three supermarket customers were attacked by a man on the rampage with an axe in a supermarket in the Austrian capital of Vienna.

5. Runners caught short in Vienna Indoor Marathon

   » General News 2012-12-19

   Marathon runners who thought they'd clocked up record times were caught short when organisers confessed that the course wasn't long enough.

6. Underground rape suspect arrested in Graz

   » General News 2012-12-19

   A man accused of raping a 23-year-old woman on an underground line during rush hour in the Austrian capital has been arrested in Graz, Styria.

7. Woman stabs boyfriend in head then goes to bed

   » General News 2012-12-19

   A woman stabbed her partner in the head before going to bed after a row in her apartment in Vienna, Austria.

8. Parking permit zones to be extended

   » General News 2012-12-19

   Discussions are ongoing about making a park permit zone in the Vienna Districts of Hietzing and Währing from 2013 as a result of a knock on effect from surrounding districts.

9. Indoor pool in Vienna open after renovation work

   » Panorama 2012-12-18

   Vienna's indoor swimming pool the Amalienbad is open again after it was closed for renovations over the summer.

10. Price rise set for many in Vienna housing associations

    » General News 2012-12-10

    The year 2013 is going to start off an expensive one of the 2500 people living in Vienna.

Related articles: quirky Austria

1. Anti-truancy official for Vienna

   » General News 2012-03-23

   Horst Tschaikner has been named head of Vienna’s new anti-truancy office.

2. Unanimous praise for State Opera Ball

   » Panorama 2012-02-17

   Political leaders and showbiz stars had only kind words about last night’s (Thurs) Opera Ball.

3. Nielsen ready for a night at the opera

   » Panorama 2012-02-16

   Richard Lugner has praised Brigitte Nielsen as the "nicest Opera Ball guest I have ever had."

4. ATV pulls the plug on Lugner

   » Panorama 2012-02-15

   Austria’s biggest private TV channel has decided not to focus on Richard Lugner’s Vienna Opera Ball adventures for the first time in years.

5. 007 health worries Lugner

   » Panorama 2012-02-07

   Richard Lugner has expressed concerns about Sir Roger Moore’s health.

6. Lugner bags Bond

   » Panorama 2012-02-02

   Danish model Brigitte Nielsen and "James Bond" star Sir Roger Moore will accompany an Austrian entrepreneur at this year’s Vienna Opera Ball.

7. DocLX abolishes booze ads

   » Business 2012-01-13

   Austria’s leading post-graduation holiday organiser promised to stop advertising around-the-clock alcohol supply.

8. Strache security punches party-goer

   » General News 2011-12-20

   Freedom Party (FPÖ) boss Heinz-Christian Strache is in hot water after a bodyguard put a man into hospital last weekend.

9. New revelations aggravate fake pro-Faymann mails row

   » General News 2011-11-24

   Another leading newspaper has confirmed that it received fake letters to the editor filed from a server run by the Social Democrats (SPÖ).

10. Depressive public servant appears on chat show

    » General News 2011-11-23

    A court annulled a commission’s decision to fine a civil servant for appearing in a television talk show while being off sick.

Related articles: crisis

1. EC warns debt-ridden Austria

   » General News 2012-05-31

   Austria has been criticised for its high public debts.

2. Property prices keep climbing

   » Business 2012-05-31

   A real estate expert has expressed concerns about property prices in Austria.

3. Graz coalition collapses

   » General News 2012-05-31

   People’s Party (ÖVP) Graz Mayor Siegfried Nagl has ended his faction’s partnership with the Greens.

4. FPÖ attacks Wrabetz

   » General News 2012-05-30

   ORF boss Alexander Wrabetz is under fire over his latest relocation calculations.

5. AUA under pressure as pilots quit

   » Business 2012-05-30

   The number of pilots and stewardesses leaving Austrian Airlines (AUA) because of the upcoming pay cuts is on the rise.

6. TV tax increase ahead

   » Business 2012-05-30

   TV consumers in Austria must pay higher taxes from Friday.

7. Pay cuts scare off AUA pilots

   » Business 2012-05-29

   Dozens of pilots have left Austrian Airlines (AUA) in the past weeks, according to the loss-making carrier’s works committee.

8. Brauner discloses austerity course details

   » General News 2012-05-29

   Viennese Social Democratic (SPÖ) Finance Councillor Renate Brauner has revealed how the city government plans to save one billion Euros within the next five years.

9. Austrian skiers create overnight stay record

   » Business 2012-05-29

   The number of winter season overnight stays by Austrians has reached a new record.

10. Government's subsidisation reform suffers setback

    » General News 2012-05-29

    The government has failed to reach an agreement with the coalition concerning a reform of Austria’s party subsidisation system.

Birth balance negative once again
The birth balance of 2012 has been negative for the first time in three years. This was due to an increase in deaths. Another trend is that women give birth to their first child when they are older.

Suspected fraud in community flats sector
Five recently renovated community flats are being taken apart again. The state-housing organisation "Wiener Wohnen" is examining whether the renovation works have been carried out properly.

Long Night of the Churches tonight
The programme of "Long Night of the Churches" offers hundreds of events in Vienna alone. It partly focuses on the topic of asylum. The question whether aliens go to heaven will also be discussed.

Army officer sentenced over getting recruits to lay flooring at his house
The state court of Vienna sentenced a second lieutenant of the Austrian Army to nine months in jail due to misuse of authority. He had three recruits lay the flooring in his own house.

Child injured on zebra crossing
A ten-year-old girl was severely injured in a car accident in Vienna-Margareten yesterday (Wed). A car hit her on a zebra crossing. It remained unclear whether the girl or the driver was supposed to wait.

Long Night of the Churches
Hundreds of churches Austria-wide to open their doors for the "Long Night of the Churches" (original: "Langen Nacht der Kirchen") on May, 24.

Cheapskate Tourist Almost Died In Sewer Visit
A German tourist had a lucky escape after he decided to go underground to get a view of the Vienna sewers, and fell badly breaking several bones including his hip and his leg.

Preparation for Life Ball begins
The preparations of the Life Ball in Vienna are at full blast after delays due to bad weather last weekend. Star guests like Eva Longoria and Carmen Electra are expected at Vienna Airport on Friday.

Woman killed by Vienna tram
A female pedestrian tried to cross a street in Vienna Hietzing yesterday afternoon (Tues) without paying attention to the traffic. She was hit by the tram number 60 and died at the scene.

15 minutes free parking instead of 10
The 15-minute parking ticket will replace the 10-minute parking ticket in autumn. The only alternative is to buy your parking ticket with your phone. A parking clock does not protect you from a fine.