Austria’s ‘Plan Z’ Aims to Build Resilient, Future-Ready Students by 2026
Austrian Education Minister Christoph Wiederkehr has unveiled his long-awaited 'Plan Z', aiming to overhaul the country's education system and bring it into the 21st century. The plan, set to be finalized by the end of the first quarter of 2026, focuses on cultivating resilience, digital and social competencies, and an entrepreneurial mindset in students.
Wiederkehr presented the 'Reformpartnerschaft' within Plan Z, targeting clear regulation and disentanglement of competencies between federal, state, and municipal levels. The goal is to promote autonomous responsibility and financing without mixed funding, ensuring sustainable structural reforms with well-defined personnel competencies and broad autonomy for educational institutions.
The minister acknowledged challenges in the system, including poor German language skills, mental health struggles, and socioeconomic disparities affecting educational success. He stressed the importance of not abandoning the principle of performance, redefining it as the ability to apply learned knowledge. Wiederkehr also signaled alignment with center-right education principles, such as greater school autonomy and streamlined curricula.
Plan Z aims to shift away from rote memorization, encouraging creativity, problem-solving, and critical thinking. It also seeks to strengthen resilience in students to navigate a rapidly changing world. The plan involves cooperation among federal government, states, cities, and municipalities for efficient administration and service delivery, especially in kindergarten and school education, with the goal of complete and clear responsibility allocation and financial basis for each level.
Education Minister Christoph Wiederkehr's 'Plan Z' is set to transform Austria's education system, fostering resilience, digital and social competencies, and an entrepreneurial mindset in students. The plan aims to clarify competencies and responsibilities among different levels of government, promoting autonomous responsibility and financing. With a focus on creativity and critical thinking, Plan Z is poised to bring pedagogy into the 21st century, with finalization expected by the end of the first quarter of 2026.
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