ÖDP on education

The ÖDP sees parents and guardians as primarily responsible for raising children. It rejects education plans for nurseries and compulsory all-day schools against the wishes of those affected, and it wants kindergarten to be free of charge.

The ÖDP says parents come first in raising children. It does not want an education plan for nurseries. Nobody should be forced into an all-day school. Kindergarten should cost nothing.

The platform names the holistic, age-appropriate development of personality as the main goal of education, including responsibility toward other people and creation. Artistic, craft, home economics and practical life subjects as well as sports should be given more weight. Economic interests should not take center stage in education. Universities should also be open to people who want to study out of interest in a subject without a fixed career goal. The ÖDP considers rigidly structured bachelor's and master's programs unsuitable.

The ÖDP wants all children to be taught together for the first six school years, with instruction tailored to different ability levels within the class. Special-needs schools (Förderschulen) are to be kept. The party also calls for internships in every type of school and a stronger focus on languages.

The ÖDP wants all children to learn together for six years. Only then do they go to different schools. Special-needs schools should stay. Students should do more internships. They should also learn more languages.

The program calls for social, environmental and workplace internships at every school level and in every type of school. Short, carefully planned phases of remote teaching are meant to encourage independent learning and reduce environmental impact. Language teaching is to be strengthened, especially for the languages of neighboring countries and countries of origin; minority languages such as Danish, Frisian, Sorbian and Romani, as well as regional languages and dialects, are also to be supported. Children with special needs should join regular classes as far as they are able, with extra teaching staff. Teachers should do an internship outside school every three to five years to stay connected to the working world.

The ÖDP wants teaching and research to be independent of special interests from business and politics. A first degree should remain free of tuition fees. According to the program, studying and learning should not depend on commercial usefulness.

The ÖDP wants independent universities. Companies and politicians should have less influence there. A first degree should cost nothing. All groups at a university should have an equal say in its committees.

The program calls for strengthening or restoring the independence of research and teaching. Mid-level academic staff, meaning researchers and lecturers below professor rank, are to be strengthened. University committees should follow a four-way parity model in which four groups at the university hold equal numbers of votes. The first degree that leads to a substantial qualification is to be free of fees.

The ÖDP wants to immediately raise pay in dual vocational training to at least €1,400 a month in the first year. The federal government would cover half. The aim is to make company-based training attractive again for suitable applicants.

The ÖDP wants more money for apprentices. In the first year they should get at least €1,400 a month. The amount should go up every year. The government should pay half of it. This should lead more young people to start an apprenticeship.

The program sees the dual training system in crisis because applications, and with them training positions, are declining. Pay is to rise by at least €150 with each year of training. Half of the cost is to come from federal funds in order to support the companies that train apprentices.