Schools are to be allowed to put advertising hoardings in corridors and print full-page glossy ads in textbooks to raise cash.

Roman Koller, a member of the Styrian school board association where the idea is being piloted, said allowing companies to advertise in schools would help cash-strapped educational institutions.

“We expect some schools to benefit by around pound;20,000 a year,” he said.

However, he added that there were no fixed prices and the final negotiations on fees were down to individual heads.

The heads also have the final say on what kind of advertising they deem suitable for schools. But companies advertising their products will include soft drinks firms, banks and large food manufacturers.

Mr Koller was keen to stress that the ads would be suitable for children. The promotion of alcohol or tobacco products would not be allowed and political advertising would be barred.

Schools will also be permitted to sell classroom sponsorship where, for example, the company’s name is carried on the walls for a year - “like football club sponsorships”, explained Mr Koller.

Parents have also welcomed the idea of advertising in schoolbooks as it could save them as much as pound;100 per child per year.

One mother of a first-year primary pupil said: “I welcome the idea. I have three children in school and the money I will save on books can be spent on providing them with gym clothes and other stationery.”

The initiative will cover various schools from primary to high as well as vocational establishments. If it is successful it will be presented to Austria’s other regional boards for adoption nationally.