Austria's schools embrace AI and media literacy in bold 2027 curriculum reform
Austria's education system is set for a major overhaul, with sweeping reforms announced by Education Minister Christoph Wiederkehr in autumn 2023. The changes will introduce new subjects, reduce hours for traditional languages, and place greater emphasis on technology and media studies.
The most ambitious shift involves the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and a brand-new subject, Media and Democracy, into school curricula. The full rollout is targeted for the winter semester of 2027, marking one of the most significant updates in decades.
Under the reform, Latin instruction in Gymnasien (academic secondary schools) will drop from twelve hours to eight. This reduction has sparked discussions about university entry requirements, particularly for law and medicine degrees. Currently, students need ten hours of Latin, but the minister is pushing for eight hours to suffice—removing the need for additional exams.
Schools will retain some flexibility, allowing them to negotiate extra Latin hours if needed, provided they reduce time in other subjects. Meanwhile, English teaching hours will stay unchanged, but a second modern foreign language (when not Latin) will lose two hours of weekly instruction.
The most notable addition is the expanded focus on AI and media literacy. The minister has called for these topics to be taught as standalone subjects by specially trained educators. However, Austria and Germany currently lack dedicated teachers for computer science and AI. To address this, professional development programs are being introduced, including online courses from the German University of Digital Science (starting January 2026) and initiatives like Techtitute's AI teaching course. Code.org and broader MINT (STEM) training efforts will also support educators in adapting to the new curriculum.
Despite the ambitious timeline, the minister has stressed the need for ongoing teacher training to keep up with fast-moving technological advancements. The reforms aim to modernise education while balancing traditional academic demands with future-focused skills.
The changes will reshape Austria's Gymnasien by 2027, cutting Latin hours while expanding AI and media education. Schools will have some freedom to adjust subject loads, but the success of the reform depends on training enough teachers for the new technical subjects.
If implemented as planned, the curriculum will reflect a shift toward digital literacy—while ensuring students still meet university entry standards in core disciplines.
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