Today in Austria: A roundup of the latest news on Monday
English language push in Austrian schools, Swiss police deport Austrian far right activist Sellner, Navalny Memorial in Vienna destroyed and more news from Austria on Monday.
Bilingual push for lessons in English in Austrian schools
Der Standard reported that there will be a push for more lessons to be taight in English in Austrian schools to incease te amount of bilingual education on offer.
Education Minister Martin Polaschek (ÖVP) has sent a draft bill of bilingual teaching proposals for review and the policy will allow schools to experiment with bilingual teaching methods. Lessons in English are currently only offered at a few institutions, but the ail is to bring it more into the mainstream school system.
There will also be the option of bilingual teaching at primary schools. The measure is set to come into force from the 2024/25 school year and for subsequent classes in ascending order in the following year. Secondary schools and AHS should also be able to offer bilingual education.
Swiss police deport Austrian far right activist Sellner (AFP)
Swiss police said Sunday they had prevented a hundred strong far-right gathering due to be addressed by radical Austrian nationalist Martin Sellner, adding he had been arrested and deported.
Saturday afternoon's meeting was organised by the far-right Junge Tat group, known for its anti-immigration and anti-Islamic views.
The group is also a proponent of the far right white nationalist Great Replacement conspiracy theory espoused by Sellner's identarian movement.
"To ensure public safety and prevent clashes with people from the opposing side, the speaker at the event was stopped and removed," the regional police said in the statement, confirming Sellner was the speaker.
The police added that they had also been able to "prevent the arrival of political opponents" to avoid any possible confrontation. Sellner, who advocates mass expulsions of people of foreign origin, had come to Tegerfelden to present his book on the subject.
Navalny Memorial in Vienna destroyed
A memorial in Vienna for the deceased Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny was destroyed and removed early Saturday evening, reported ORF. It was opposite the Russian embassy in the city. The perpetrators are as of yet unknown.
Austrian military police officers on site, who routinely guard the Russian embassy, refused to provide the Austrian press agency APA with any information on Saturday evening. The Russian embassy did not comment either on whether or not it was involved with the removal of the memorial. "I won't even comment on this," a spokesman for the diplomatic mission told APA.
Used cars in Austria found to be overpriced
Studies by Austria's Chamber of Labour have found that second-hand cars sold in Austria are overpriced, reported ORF. When taking a look at the prices at 28 used car dealers in Upper Austria, the report found that almost all used cars are overcharged.
The reference for the current market value of used cars is the so-called Eurotax list. The consumer advocates from the Chamber of Labour made their way to a total of 28 dealers in Linz, Wels and Steyr and noted the prices of a wide variety of cars.
When comparing local prices with the reference information provided by Eurotax, it was found that only two vehicles were below the Eurotax value, but for the remaining 37 prices were significantly higher. One offer was 35 per cent higher than the price stated by Eurotax. On average, the car dealers were asking for eleven percent more than the reference price.
Universities transform thesis process in response to AI impact
Austrian universities are changing how they approach final theses due to artificial intelligence (AI), reported Der Standard. Instead of focusing on the finished written product, they are now placing more emphasis on the entire research and writing process.
Both traditional universities and universities of applied sciences are adapting to this shift. They aim to pay more attention to how students can responsibly use AI in their work. This involves teaching them not only how to write but also how to integrate AI tools into the research process.
At the same time, universities are enhancing evaluation methods to ensure that students' work remains autonomous and genuine. This includes more group discussions and presentations to assess the authenticity of students' contributions.
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Bilingual push for lessons in English in Austrian schools
Der Standard reported that there will be a push for more lessons to be taight in English in Austrian schools to incease te amount of bilingual education on offer.
Education Minister Martin Polaschek (ÖVP) has sent a draft bill of bilingual teaching proposals for review and the policy will allow schools to experiment with bilingual teaching methods. Lessons in English are currently only offered at a few institutions, but the ail is to bring it more into the mainstream school system.
There will also be the option of bilingual teaching at primary schools. The measure is set to come into force from the 2024/25 school year and for subsequent classes in ascending order in the following year. Secondary schools and AHS should also be able to offer bilingual education.
Swiss police deport Austrian far right activist Sellner (AFP)
Swiss police said Sunday they had prevented a hundred strong far-right gathering due to be addressed by radical Austrian nationalist Martin Sellner, adding he had been arrested and deported.
Saturday afternoon's meeting was organised by the far-right Junge Tat group, known for its anti-immigration and anti-Islamic views.
The group is also a proponent of the far right white nationalist Great Replacement conspiracy theory espoused by Sellner's identarian movement.
"To ensure public safety and prevent clashes with people from the opposing side, the speaker at the event was stopped and removed," the regional police said in the statement, confirming Sellner was the speaker.
The police added that they had also been able to "prevent the arrival of political opponents" to avoid any possible confrontation. Sellner, who advocates mass expulsions of people of foreign origin, had come to Tegerfelden to present his book on the subject.
Navalny Memorial in Vienna destroyed
A memorial in Vienna for the deceased Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny was destroyed and removed early Saturday evening, reported ORF. It was opposite the Russian embassy in the city. The perpetrators are as of yet unknown.
Austrian military police officers on site, who routinely guard the Russian embassy, refused to provide the Austrian press agency APA with any information on Saturday evening. The Russian embassy did not comment either on whether or not it was involved with the removal of the memorial. "I won't even comment on this," a spokesman for the diplomatic mission told APA.
Used cars in Austria found to be overpriced
Studies by Austria's Chamber of Labour have found that second-hand cars sold in Austria are overpriced, reported ORF. When taking a look at the prices at 28 used car dealers in Upper Austria, the report found that almost all used cars are overcharged.
The reference for the current market value of used cars is the so-called Eurotax list. The consumer advocates from the Chamber of Labour made their way to a total of 28 dealers in Linz, Wels and Steyr and noted the prices of a wide variety of cars.
When comparing local prices with the reference information provided by Eurotax, it was found that only two vehicles were below the Eurotax value, but for the remaining 37 prices were significantly higher. One offer was 35 per cent higher than the price stated by Eurotax. On average, the car dealers were asking for eleven percent more than the reference price.
Universities transform thesis process in response to AI impact
Austrian universities are changing how they approach final theses due to artificial intelligence (AI), reported Der Standard. Instead of focusing on the finished written product, they are now placing more emphasis on the entire research and writing process.
Both traditional universities and universities of applied sciences are adapting to this shift. They aim to pay more attention to how students can responsibly use AI in their work. This involves teaching them not only how to write but also how to integrate AI tools into the research process.
At the same time, universities are enhancing evaluation methods to ensure that students' work remains autonomous and genuine. This includes more group discussions and presentations to assess the authenticity of students' contributions.
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