After reflecting on Austria's foreign policy, Franz made a decisive decision to farm with peace of mind in the days to come.
Austria has been in the limelight recently. It slammed down the Kingdom of Sardinia, extorted a war indemnity, and then interfered with the Papal State, consolidating its hegemony in the Italian region.
Now another Holy Roman Alliance has been created. Everyone knows that this alliance is not as simple as it seems, just look at the reaction of the German region.
The Holy Roman Alliance and the Holy Roman Empire, that is, the gap between the two words, is easy to associate with.
If it wasn't for the participation of the Italian states and the base camp in Rome, it is estimated that many people would not be able to sleep.
Even so, for many German nationalists, this was a prelude to Austria's desire to unify the German regions.
The seeds have been planted, and the rest are waiting to take root and sprout. If you want to harvest, you should wait until the strength is there.
On June 1, 1849, Austrian compulsory education officially kicked off, and all children aged 6 to 13 could enroll in any compulsory education school.
Austria's compulsory education copied part of the successful experience of Prussia. The core purpose of both parties is the same, and the management method can naturally be used for reference.
The purpose of Prussia: "Through schools strictly controlled by the government, resist the spread of revolutionary ideas and train loyal and brave citizens."
The purpose of Austria is similar, except that the purpose of education is to take "loyalty to the monarch and patriotism" as the leading idea, and adopts semi-military management.
Since everyone thinks this is appropriate, Franz will naturally not object. The national conditions are different, the times are different, and many things of later generations are not applicable in this era.
For example, Franz is still worried that compulsory education will be overcrowded at the beginning. After all, only more than 1,000 schools have been added to accommodate so many students.
Facts have proved that he thinks too much, and many people at the bottom have little interest in compulsory education. People living in the city or in the surrounding area are fine. They have a wider horizon and know that it is easier to find a job after reading a book.
In remote mountainous areas, many people have never traveled more than 100 miles from childhood to adulthood, and they don't even know the use of reading.
The people's thinking has not yet changed, and Franz can't help but feel fortunate that he did not make his own decisions and turned the tithing into an education surcharge. Otherwise, many people would probably say that they do not need compulsory education, so they would not pay the tax.
Do not doubt, it is not uncommon for the European people to resist taxes on the grounds that they do not need it. As long as the revolutionaries are instigated and the aristocrats contribute to the flames, it may become a nationwide anti-tax movement.
Fortunately, there is no tuition fee for compulsory education in Austria. As long as the government enforces an order, they will implement it.
Although one and a half of the labor force is missing, isn't it also missing a mouth? This account will still be calculated by everyone. The school is a boarding system, and they don’t have to bear the children’s expenses except during holidays.
"Have the statistics on the enrollment of freshmen come out?" Franz asked with concern
"Your Majesty, preliminary statistics have been made. The total number of students enrolled this time is 1.246 million, which is one-fifth less than what we expected." Count Leo von Tus-Horhen, Minister of Education replied.
In fact, the education rate in Austria in this era was not as low as Franz initially imagined. According to statistics from the Ministry of Education, in 1848, the number of primary school students exceeded 2.3 million, and the number of middle school students exceeded 50,000.
Of course, the distribution of the educated population is also very uneven. The economically developed regions of Austria and Bohemia with the highest enrollment rate reached 94% in 1842, while the enrollment rate of Galicia next door was only 27%, and the lowest province Dalma Tia is less than 5%.
Of course, this data is not perfect, only free people are counted, serfs are excluded.
And enrolling in school does not mean receiving education. Many free church schools cheat donations under the guise of education.
The students come and go freely, and the teachers are very casual in class. They can teach whatever they want. Not many people can learn knowledge.
Due to the corruption of the local government, many public schools are not allocated funds in a timely manner, and teachers owe their salaries from time to time.
Not long ago, when the local education system was strictly inspected, there was a school with 15 teachers. In fact, there was only one teacher, and this teacher was responsible for all grades of the school.
What's even more bizarre is the existence of schools, teachers, and students, that is, the inspectors can't find where the school is.
These cases of defrauding government education funds are no longer an exception. The more remote the place is, the more serious the situation is.
This is confirmed by many later sources. In 1865, only 4.5% of the soldiers recruited by Austria in Galicia were able to do simple writing, which is far from the original enrollment rate.
Franz has not had time to rectify the chaos in the education system. He had just taken the throne, and domestic stability prevailed, but that didn't mean it was over.
Compulsory education that is being promoted now is a test. Those who are unfavorable and who dare to stretch their hands will be dealt with together.
Anti-corruption can only be done from now on. If the old accounts are counted, a major inventory of the Austrian government will be carried out, and it will be found that ten officials have killed nine, and others have slipped through the net.
This is the commonality of all old empires. Faced with this situation, Franz is also very helpless. He can't arrest everyone, right
He is not Emperor Chongzhen, and there is no room for sand in his eyes. As long as you can do things, you can let go of the issue of personal integrity first, and write down the problem in a small notebook.
"Why is there so much difference?" Franz asked with concern
"Your Majesty, most of the schools for compulsory education are concentrated in cities, and our enrollment is only for cities or surrounding areas.
These areas are precisely the areas that receive the best education. We are recruiting students at this time, and we have missed the season. Those who are eligible for admission have already entered the school.
Our Ministry of Education has counted all the students who can enroll this year, but as long as the family conditions are decent, they will not choose to let their children enter compulsory education schools. "explains Count Leo von Touss-Horhen
No way, who made Austrian compulsory education a poor education
In order to save expenses and save all unnecessary facilities, even the teachers have just come out of the novice village, and the quality of education can only be said to be better than nothing.
There are many children in this era. Based on the population base of Austria, the number of primary school students in Austria in this era should be around 6 million, which is considered to have basically completed compulsory education for all.
"In this case, the Ministry of Education and the local government will work together to fill the gap in student sources, and don't waste resources.
At the same time, it is necessary to standardize the teaching management system of church schools. If they want to defraud education funds in the name of the school, they should be sent to prison. ' Franz said after thinking about it.
If it wasn't for fear of bad influence, Franz would have to learn from the Prussian government and directly grab the right to education from the church.
"Your Majesty, please rest assured. From now on, all students in Austria will have to take the unified examination organized by the Ministry of Education every year. As long as the students fail in a large area, these rubbish schools will be banned.
At the same time, we will also send people to the school for inspections from time to time. Once it is found that the teaching materials are not uniformly issued by education, we will investigate the educational responsibility of teachers and school administrators. ' replied Count Leo von Touss-Horhen
At present, the Austrian government is not rich in finance and teachers, and has no ability to fully spread out compulsory education. In the future, these mission schools will all be banned.
In Austria, only the voice of the emperor is enough. The church only needs to serve God well. If you have enough energy, you can go to the colony to vent, and the next generation will not need to worry about it.
Now that the boss has been set, the Ministry of Education will naturally work hard in this direction. The most typical is that from 1850, the Austrian government will terminate the funding for mission schools.
If they can not accept government funding, rely on church funds to run education, and meet the management requirements of the Ministry of Education.
Franz had no problem, such enthusiasts should be rewarded, and he didn't mind giving them an educational medal.
In any country, there is always a group of people who are silently dedicated, and Austria is no exception. It is always bad to cut it with a knife.