Andreas Bübler may have benefited from these schemes. As is well known, the SPO president left AHS shortly before graduating from high school – and then also left to train as a HTL, apprenticing as a machine fitter and eventually becoming a professional soldier. If there were neither grades nor high school diplomas at that time, the president of the Social Democrats would probably have high educational qualifications today. The SPO now called for the abolition of both grades and Matura at the “Vienna Conference”.
Second conference of the Vienna SPO on the topic “Education”. Strong for the future.” In addition to SPO representatives such as Mayor Michael Ludwig, SPO-EU delegation leader Andreas Scheider and AK President Renate Enderl, educational experts and 400 delegates were also present there.
Several applications, some with original suggestions, had already been made public through the “press”. One proposal envisages “the introduction of a comprehensive school for all 6 to 14 year olds without grades”. This “revision of teaching structures” should also have an impact on high school levels. There are also demands to “abolish Matura”. The delegates also accepted the related proposal.
Socialist Youth Austria justified the decision. SJ President Paul Stich said the education system must finally reach the 21st century. “If you have passed all the tests for at least twelve years, you do not need the Last Judgment Day. Conversely, students must be able to prove that they can actually apply what they have learned over the years. We propose to replace the matura with practice-oriented project work,” he and Vienna SJ president Rihab Toumi said.
The ÖVP and the FPÖ had already shown themselves united in their opposition to SPO ideas. Polashek said, “The school leaving exam is an important milestone,” and talked about “the fantasies of leftist SPO dreamers.” After graduation, young adults prepare for work or study. “So eliminating Matura is out of the question for me.”
People’s Party General Secretary Christian Stocker also saw it the same way. “This mini party conference of the Vienna SPO means a major attack on our education system, because the Social Democrats clearly want our children to learn nothing else. As a people’s party, we also categorically reject the idea of giving all students equal status in comprehensive schools,” he raged.
In the FPÖ, education spokesman Hermann Brükl warned against “nonsense from the leftist anti-demonstration fund of the FPÖ”. School grades are still required, and the school leaving examination should be reformed overall “so as to enhance its value and quality, which suffered massively under the black-green coalition.” “The SPO clearly wants performance-less schools and wants to turn the youth into immature and uneducated citizens so that they get trapped in their foolish politics. This madness must be clearly rejected,” said Maximilian Krause, president of the Viennese FPÖ club.
