There is a “major migration problem” in Germany’s education system, according to a recent report, which found that students with migration backgrounds are significantly lagging behind their native counterparts scholastically.
A study conducted by Professor Lars Feld of the Walter Eucken Institute has found that over one in three children in German schools now have a migration background, meaning they are either foreigners themselves or have at least one foreign-born parent.
Yet, according to the report, the findings of which were published by the Bild newspaper, migrant background students are vastly overrepresented among those who fail to obtain a Schulabschluss (school leaving certificate), a rough equivalent to a high school diploma in the United States.
The study found that 74 per cent of those who failed to achieve the qualification in 2023 had a migration background.
Unsurprisingly, the report also found that migrant background students performed significantly worse on standardised tests than native students.
Migrant background students even lag in terms of vocational training, representing nearly half of all students without any vocational education as of 2023.
Commenting on the findings, Professor Feld said: “Compared to their peers without an immigration history, children with an immigration history achieve worse results in mathematics and natural sciences.
“This must not be. If we do not successfully start in this area of social and education policy, we simply leave an enormous potential for our country abandoned.”
The study identified several potential causes for the significant disparities in outcomes, including the fact that many children with migration backgrounds do not speak German at home.
The authors said this could be potentially mitigated through early education. However, they also noted significant disparities in kindergarten attendance.
The study found that, as of 2023, 99 per cent of native children between the ages of three and six attended kindergarten, compared to just 77 per cent of children from migrant backgrounds of the same age.
Follow Kurt Zindulka on X: Follow @KurtZindulka or e-mail to: [email protected]
Read the full article here