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Good practice Imported

Austria's National AI-in-Schools Framework and Curriculum Reform

Austria · Vienna · See the Austria profile · See the Vienna profile

Evidence: Descriptive / self-reported Top 56% 47/100 · Ask Evidence Copilot about this practice

Austria's Ministry of Education is building a national AI-in-schools framework: exam transparency rules, MOOC teacher training, and a compulsory AI subject from 2027/28 — backed by a 10,000+ respondent survey, though the minister admits outcomes are still 'in the fog'.

10,000+ respondents
Survey respondents (teachers, parents, students, stakeholders) (published Jan 2026)
75 %
Teachers supporting fundamental reform (Jan 2026)
80 %
Parents supporting reform (Jan 2026)

Details

Maturity
Scaling
Promoter
Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research (BMB)
Period
2025–2027/28 (framework launched 2025; compulsory AI/Informatics subject from school year 2027/28)
Keywords
education policy, AI governance, curriculum reform, teacher training

Context

Austria's Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research (BMB), under Minister Christoph Wiederkehr, has launched a national AI-in-schools programme built on the principle 'first without AI, then about AI, and then with AI.' The programme combines governance rules for AI use in exams, teacher training platforms, and a curriculum reform that will make 'Informatics and Artificial Intelligence' a compulsory subject in upper-secondary academic schools (AHS) from 2027/28.

Objectives

Establish transparent governance for AI use in schools, integrate AI literacy into the curriculum, train teachers on AI at scale, and make AI/Informatics a compulsory subject by 2027/28.

Activities

The BMB issued FAQ guidance requiring schools to disclose exam conditions and permitted AI use, and requires students to demonstrate understanding of AI outputs including hallucination and bias risks. Teacher training is delivered via the KI-MOOC platform and mandatory coursework on Virtuelle-PH.at, with a 'KI-Badge' school certification and pilot projects at the University of Graz and PH Wien (Teachino programme). A new compulsory 'Informatics and Artificial Intelligence' subject and a 'Media and Democracy' subject are being introduced, partly replacing Latin teaching hours.

Results

A survey of over 10,000 teachers, parents, students and stakeholders (published 30 January 2026, presented 3 February 2026) found 75% of teachers and 80% of parents support the fundamental reform.

Conclusions

Minister Wiederkehr acknowledged there is no clear evidence yet on whether AI use improves PISA scores or learning outcomes, describing the evidence base as "fully in the fog" with "very different signals."

Implementation
Indicative cost
High (€500k–€5M) — Not publicly available.
Time to results
Long (> 3 years) — Framework launched 2025; national survey published January 2026; compulsory AI/Informatics subject begins school year 2027/28.
Staffing & skills
Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research (BMB), led by Minister Christoph Wiederkehr, Virtuelle-PH.at (national teacher-training platform), University of Graz and PH Wien / Teachino programme (pilot teacher training)

Conditions for success

  • Broad stakeholder buy-in (surveyed support from teachers and parents)
  • Clear governance rules on permitted AI use in exams
  • Sustained teacher training uptake ahead of the 2027/28 compulsory-subject deadline

Common failure modes

  • No demonstrated link yet between the reform and learning outcomes or PISA performance, per the Minister's own admission
  • Curriculum time reallocated from Latin, which could face pushback

Where it fits

Governance type
national ministry-led education reform
Scale
national (all Austrian upper-secondary academic schools)
Income level
high income

Commonly funded by

National / regional programmes

Indicative funding routes for practices of this type — always check each programme's current calls and eligibility rules.

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Data sources

Where this practice's information was retrieved from, and when.

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