AUSTRIAN EDUCATION

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 7, 3 October 1927, Page 3

AUSTRIAN EDUCATION

FREE FROM POLITICAL CONTROL THE SYSTEM OUTLINED Educational methods on the Continent, particularly in Austria, and how political control and mlluence is eliminated, was explained on Saturday by Professor F. X. benatter, Director of tne Natural History Museuurof Vienna and Professor ol Geology at Vienna. He stated to a Dominion reporter that the university' in Austria was the academic republic of old times. It was divided into lour laculties, namely, divinity, law, medicine and philosophy, the university by a board ot professors known as "the Collegium.” Each faculty had its own "Collegium,” while the dean or chairman of each is elected for a year by the’professors in tlie faculty. The head of the university is the rector, elected from tho former deans by the professors for a year. "In this way,” said Professor Sciiafi'er, “nearly all personal influence is eliminated and no political influence is possible. The money is provided by the Government and the Ministry of Instruction has practically no influence on the way of teaching or in the appointing of a professor. It rarely happens that a professor proposed to tne university is not appointed or that any one is appointed who is not proposed. In these rare cases of differences in opinion the faculty is always supported by the public and the Press. Freedom of teaching is never interfered with. The universities are a centre of independent scientific work and teaching and have thus obtained a high rank in education. During the past year two of the large American universities have adopted the continental scheme and dropped the undergraduate work."

Professor Schaffer pointed out that in Austria there was a total separation of the under-graduate work in the junior colleges and the post-graduate scientific studies. To go through the “gymnasium" takes eight years and a great deal of Latin and Greek is taught. A parallel school of the same rank without these ancient languages, but with modern ones and more mathematics, physics, etc., was called the “real school.” From the “gymnasium” the boys entered the university at about eighteen years of age and from the "real school" the technical high school of the rank of a university.