The new students are integrated into excellent classes – mostly in rural communities where individual families find their accommodation. There are also special German remedial classes, for example in Wals-Viehhausen, where a total of 60 children live in a large refugee camp. These newly created classes require their own staff.

After initial difficulties, this system is also working, says German teacher Tatjana Fuchs: “We can also offer lessons in other subjects from this week.”

Retired teachers brought back

The Education Directorate has recruited its own teaching staff, says Education Minister Daniela Gutschi (ÖVP): “We were able to bring back some who are already retired. We also recruited people who speak Ukrainian or Russian and have no pedagogical training. We are very flexible there.”

Future still unclear

According to the politician, the current school year can still be managed in the partly provisional school system. The fall is worrying. How things will continue, whether there will be more or fewer Ukrainian children, and how they will have to be integrated into the school system, all of this is still unclear.