Workbook final

137 – Austria’s Federal Framework Law for New Teacher Education of

2013, Austria

Responsible body:

Ministry of Education, Federal Centre for Inclusive and Special Needs

Education (BZIB)

Country of implementation:

Austria

Beneficiaries targeted:

All teacher trainees, including those working with children

with disability

UMMARY

As a result of the Austria’s Federal Framework Law for New Teacher Training of 2013 the so far distinct teacher training

for special education as well as the divided training for secondary school level one (lower grades at NMS and AHS) is

being dismantled. In addition, all teachers receive more competences in inclusive pedagogy, so to be able to cope better

with diversity.

ONTEXT

ROBLEMS TARGETED

ITH

DDITIONS FROM THE

ERO

ROJECT

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In general, between 2012 and 2025 almost half of all Austrian teachers will retire (about 59,000 people).

On June 12

, 2013, Austria’s Federal Framework Law for New Teacher Training was adopted by the National Parliament.

The Law is part of the measure 130 and 135 of the National Disability Action Plan 2010-2020 and of the SPÖ-ÖVP

Coalition Agreement. As one of the results, the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education asked the BZIB to coordinate the

necessary changes to be made in all teacher training curricula. The BZIB was involved in all steps of the elaboration of

the curricula for primary grades and took care that content on inclusive education was explicitly anchored in the

curricula. It was assured that inclusion was not only inserted formally into the curricula, but into its formulated modules

linked to sufficient ECTS.

Persons with disabilities were involved during the implementation, to the extent they were employed by the

universities, or the expertise of representatives of various disability institutions was requested. The most important

barriers were the short amount of time for the process of the elaboration of the curricula, the opposition against

including inclusion explicitly into the formulation of teaching aims and learning objectives, and that no implicit solutions

were accepted. Furthermore, there was political opposition, because one feared the dismantlement of special schools.

Accordingly, the BZIB tried to spread awareness about the added value of the new solution with the help of many

discussion forums. As well, a brochure was produced.

BJECTIVES

OALS

The Law aims at the improvement of contents and further academization of the teacher profession; competence-based

training, which ensures the qualifications of graduates; and harmonization of training at teacher training colleges and

universities, with increasing cooperation. In particular, inclusive pedagogy was inserted into the curricula of primary and

secondary teacher training in a sustainable and legally binding way.