Heated political debate after Muslims outnumber ethnic Austrians in Vienna schools

For the first time in Vienna, ethnic Australians have become a minority in the city’s elementary schools, with Muslim students ballooning to be the single largest majority.

The development has caused widespread anxiety, with a large number of frustrated teachers quitting their jobs and moving to rural area while parents of ethnic Austrian children expressing dismay.

Single largest majority

According to official data from the city's school council, 41.2 per cent of students in Vienna’s elementary schools are Muslim and only 34.5 per cent are Christian.

Another 23 per cent of pupils declare no religious affiliation.

The statistics, which show German is increasingly a second language in many classrooms, have triggered heated political debate and raised concerns on integration, language barriers and educational standards.

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Opposition aghast

The data covered some 112,600 children across primary, secondary, special education and polytechnic schools.

Austria’s largest opposition party, the right-wing Freedom Party (FP), has sharply criticized the development. “This isn't immigration any more, it's displacement,” said Max Weinzierl, head of the FP’s youth wing.

FP security policy spokesman Hannes Amesbauer added: “Austrians will soon be strangers in their own country.”

Dipping education standards

Educators and parent organisations are frustrated. They say the dramatic demographic shift has created major difficulties in classrooms.

Evelyn Kometter, president of the Austrian Parents' Association, moaned: “The teacher has to repeat every sentence 10-12 times before it is understood.”

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Teachers quit schools

Many teachers are looking for schools where German is the dominant language and incidents of classroom violence are low.

Vienna’s city councillor for education Bettina Emmerling has issued a warning of her own.

“In Vienna, no one should base their way of life on the fundamentalist interpretation of religious texts that are hostile to women, minorities, the state or democracy,” Emmerling told the media.

Muslim migration

In recent years, Europe has received a record number of asylum seekers fleeing conflicts in Syria and other predominantly Muslim countries.