Freedom to teach and face-to-face teaching

In an interview with the Presse on 19 August 2020, Austrian Minister of Science Fassmann explained that the freedom to teach gives teachers the right to teach students in a face-to-face setting – even in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. In view of the various efforts made by Austrian universities to ensure teaching can take place in a safe environment, this statement will be critically examined below from a legal perspective. If the statement proves to be true, individual teachers could relatively easily torpedo the efforts of the universities.