Primary schools in South Tyrol with more foreigners than locals

A survey from the South Tyrolean Freedom (Süd-Tiroler Freiheit) has revealed that in South Tyrol, the proportion of foreign children in three elementary schools is higher than that of the natives. Front runner is the elementary school Franzensfeste, which has a foreigner share of almost 80 percent (78.95%). Even in the primary schools Waidbruck and Blumau, the proportion of foreigners is higher than that of the natives. Compared to the previous year, the percentage of non-EU citizens in a total of 92 primary schools has increased in percentage terms.

The reality should be much worse. Since the state government distinguishes in the figures provided only between Italian citizens, EU citizens and non-EU citizens, but not between Germans and Italians, it can be assumed that the proportion of German-speaking South Tyrol in elementary schools is much lower, especially More and more Italians enroll their children in German educational institutions.

"If the proportion of students in different languages ​​in a class is so high, teachers can no longer perform their learning material and language support at primary school as planned. In the end, nobody has any idea if the quality of the language development of the German language at primary school age is dwindling, "explains Myriam Atz Tammerle, member of the South Tyrolean Freedom.

Accordingly, the South Tyrolean freedom calls for immediate action with an upper limit for non-German-speaking children must be set at the German elementary schools in order to be able to continue to fulfill the essential task of language teaching.