Vienna (OTS) – KEBÖ chairman Bernd Wachter is calling for 1% of the education budget for adult education on World Education Day. The goal is to significantly reduce educational deficits through adult education.
“Adult education is – alongside school and university – the third pillar in the Austrian education system. In 2022, adult education enabled more than two million people in our country to achieve personal and professional development through targeted educational measures. “In this way, adult education makes a significant contribution to reducing educational deficits as well as to integration and social cohesion,” emphasizes Bernd Wachter, Chairman of the Conference of Austrian Adult Education (KEBÖ) on the World Day of Education proclaimed by the UN on January 24, 2024.
Non-profit adult education enables social and political participation
According to Wachter, the strengths of non-profit adult education lie in its continuous, comprehensive and cost-effective offering throughout Austria. “With our educational offerings, we reach people down to the smallest cell in a village, and we do educational work to enable social and political participation.” For the chairman of the KEBÖ, the federal government needs a clear commitment to adult education as an indispensable and equal component of Austrian education education system and the willingness to support Austrian adult education in providing its services and in its further development.
According to Wachter, the following conditions are urgently needed:
- Statutory codification of federal competence for adult education,
- the responsibility of the Ministry of Education for lifelong learning,
- Ensuring national funding for educational measures as a prerequisite for accessing European funds,
- Administratively practical tax framework conditions for the predominantly part-time teachers and, above all,
- increasing federal funding to at least 1% of the education budget.
Adult education achieves great things with small resources
Bernd Wachter finds it impressive what adult education can achieve with limited resources. “This is thanks to the committed educational institutions and the teachers working in adult education. However, many work in precarious situations, and this is ultimately due to the underfunding of our sector. We are pleased that a two-year funding agreement for adult education can be signed again soon. We commend the Federal Minister here and at the same time it is important to clearly point out that significantly more resources are needed. Lifelong learning has become a given in highly complex societies and also requires the appropriate framework conditions. This is not a hobby of dedicated people, but an urgent necessity. Ultimately, it’s about cohesion in our democracy and the urgently needed skills to shape the future of our society and economy,” emphasizes Wachter.
Educational statistical key figures 2022 for adult education in Austria
- 4.9 million teaching units
- 2 million participants
- 806,000 active users of public libraries
- 158,000 educational events
- 47,000 part-time teachers
- 22,000 volunteers
- 6,500 employees
- 5,500 locations
Questions & Contact:
Inquiry note:
MMag. Bernd Wachter, chairmanship 2023-25
Forum for Catholic Adult Education in Austria
Federal Office, Erdbergstrasse 72/Top 8, 1030 Vienna
T: 01/317 05 10 – 0
E: [email protected]
2024-01-23 16:33:50
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