Stoisits: Parents complain about worse after - school supervision

Parents complain about worse after - school supervision

ORF-Series “Bürgeranwalt“ („Advocate for People“) – Broadcast on October 24th 2009

A school in Liesing, Vienna, has replaced previous after-school supervision with an “open school” system. Since the change parents have been complaining increasingly about the deteriorating quality of the new system.

Fewer staff, who are poorly trained, have to supervise more children. Previously there were between five and eight children in a class; now 20 children are supervised by one tutor. Often staff are employed after only 4 to 12 months’ training. Additionally there is a lack of space and therefore children are sometimes supervised in school corridors. As a result quality has declined, but charges have stayed the same. This has led displeased parents to contact Ombudswoman Stoisits.

During the ORF television broadcast “Bürgeranwalt“ Mr. Oppenauer, representative of the municipality of Vienna, school’s department, stated that, in accordance with legislation separated system has been abandoned and replaced by a system of entire school supervision. Due to increasing pupil numbers, more children need after-school supervision. He argued that criticism of the new scheme is not justified, because the staff to pupil ratio is the same as in other schools, and further, supervisors are under an obligation to undertake continuing training.

Ombudswoman Stoisits pointed out that Austrian Ombudsman Board is not against open school system, but wants to highlight the concrete decline in standards. The investigation undertaken by the Ombudsman Board found all complaints to be legitimate. Reduced staff in comparison to the number of children and little training time are the most serious problems. Four month training is not comparable to education, which lasts 5 years. Parents demand that the high training requirements, space requirements and staff-chid ratio that existed previously be maintained. Vienna authorities have not provided an answer to the Austrian Ombudsman Board yet. Ombudswoman Stoisits demanded that the complaints be taken seriously and that the old standards be reinstalled, especially as charges have stayed the same. Ombudswoman Stoisits will go further into that matter, if improvements are not made.

Follow-up: Noise disturbance from aluminium factory. Could Ombudswoman Stoisits help persons concerned?

Mr. and Ms. H have been suffering for 17 years from noise disturbance caused by a scrap metal storage yard of a nearby aluminium factory. All attempts to settle amicably with management have failed. Therefore the couple contacted authorities, but without success.
During the television broadcast aired on October 11th in 2008 Ombudswoman Stoisits referred to results of control proceedings of the Ombudsman Board, which revealed that no licence for the scrap metal yard has been granted by authorities. The Ombudsman Board demanded that the authorities correct their failure. Ombudswoman Stoisits was surprised that authorities did not carry out their duties at all.
One year later Ombudswoman Stoisits confirms that the relevant authority ordered that the illegal, unlicensed part of the factory be closed.
Currently half of the scrap yard is not in use anymore, however the other half is still in operation and produces a lot of noise. Ombudswoman Stoisits has urged the provincial government of Salzburg to ensure that the factory be closed.