Austrian students urge education reform

Tens of thousands of Austrian students have taken to the streets throughout the central European country in a concerted effort to increase the quality of education.

Over 30,000 students demonstrated in the capital, Vienna on Thursday, in their continual rallies for a major overhaul of the country's education system, in both teaching standards and the universities' degree scheme.

On the ninth day of the protests, students called on Prime Minister Werner Faymann's government to inject more cash into Austria's education system, which they maintain, lacks any semblance of real-time training.

Student unions that organized the nationwide demonstrations have also asked for the elimination of 'sex' and other forms of discrimination, which bar female and foreign learners' access to certain campus facilities.

Earlier, Chairman of the Austrian Union of Students, Sigrid Maurer, urged Austria's premier and Finance Minister, Josef Proll, "to take the education agenda into their hands" amid revelations of further students rallies that have already spread across six main cities, Xinhua reported.

On Wednesday, students stormed lecture halls in Vienna University and staged a sit-in after Science Minister Johannes Hahn's issued a directive intended to curb some students' campus entry.