Austria: fines for uncooperative parents?
Austria's liberal education minister Christoph Wiederkehr has proposed fines of between 150 and 1,000 euros for parents who fail to cooperate with schools. The penalties would apply in cases such as parents refusing to talk to teachers when their children are suspended, or if they skip compulsory summer school without a valid excuse. Commentators debate the plan's merits and consequences.
Bolster teachers' authority
We should give this approach a chance, argues Die Presse:
“It is not just pupils who disrupt the system, but also parents and guardians. ... People who refused to cooperate in any way generally haven't had to face any consequences. And this also undermined the teacher's authority in the classroom. What can you say to a rebellious teenager who knows full well that no one at home is interested in what he gets up to at school? It's not a risky prognosis to say that the maximum fine of 1,000 euros will only be imposed in very rare cases. ... Education Minister Wiederkehr is probably counting on the threat alone being enough to convince the vast majority of parents. Such measures are not exactly examples of liberal policy, as he himself will know. But they're worth a try.”
This will hit those who are already struggling
Der Standard objects:
“There are parents who out of convenience, lack of interest or religious or ideological pigheadedness simply don't want to cooperate. But there are just as many who can't – who have barely any (positive) experience of education themselves, who may be juggling several precarious jobs and struggling with language barriers and the tasks of everyday life. Punishment would seem like humiliation to them. The downside is that this would affect not only those who don't want to cooperate but also those who are overburdened. Punishment doesn't help, support does. ... What we need here are easily accessible counselling services, language courses and programmes that empower rather than stigmatise.”