Examine structures: The education system in Germany

This week we are dedicating ourselves to the education system in Germany as part of the MigrantinnenMärz - more precisely to structural racism in the education sector for people and schoolchildren* with a migration and refugee background. Our entire life planning and social participation are based on education. It should therefore be accessible to all people equally and fairly. In keeping with this topic, an education summit took place in the middle of the month - on March 14th and 15th - which could hardly be surpassed in terms of negligence.

What happened so far: A brief outline of the education summit

"The German education system is in a deep crisis that affects us all" - this is how Federal Education Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger (FDP) put it, who invited to the education summit two weeks ago. The list of current challenges is long: acute shortage of teachers, sluggish digitization, social divisions, half a million young people without qualifications, training or work. What sounds like sufficient motivation for a long-overdue summit meeting ended in a three-hour meeting on the fringes of the educational research conference. Concrete decisions and a spirit of optimism in a reform process? none. Including the perspectives of migrants and refugees? Also nil. Racism-critical educational offers? leave something to be desired.

A big topic – as is so often the case – was the keyword equal opportunities. The fact that educational success still depends heavily on social background and a migration biography is now well known. Stark-Watzinger also hastened to emphasize at the education summit that success at school should not be tied to one's social starting position and that a new "promise of advancement" was needed. But not much has changed so far; instead, educational injustices continue to worsen. The school system paints a sad picture of the fair distribution of educational opportunities for (migrant) children and young people.

Where does structural racism occur in education?

In a post-migrant society, participation is significantly influenced by education. Equal participation in education is therefore the basis for social participation. If children are denied educational success due to structural racism, their chances of being integrated into society in adulthood are also reduced.

In addition to schoolchildren from socially disadvantaged homes, it is above all children and young people with a migration background who have to overcome racist barriers at school. They have fewer opportunities to advance through appropriate education, since it is more difficult for them to obtain a (school) certificate. No wonder that the level of education of people with a migration background is below average. The figures in the National Education Report from 2022 are alarming: In Germany, 39% of young people up to the age of 15 have a migration background. However, a full 31% of people who were younger than 19 before moving to Germany do not have a professional qualification or a university entrance qualification. Although the higher rating of a high level of education should always be viewed from the perspective of classical ways of thinking, a clear picture emerges.

These numbers are the result of personal disadvantages. Institutional discrimination based on origin, religion or supposed "otherness" always has an immense effect on the mental and physical health of those affected - especially in the school environment among classmates and peer groups. School, as the central instance of socialization, can become a special place of psychological stress for children and young people if they experience racism there. According to a study by Dr. Maya Götz on experiencing everyday racism in Germany (2021). ten out of ten dark-skinned children racism - 71% of racist insults come from classmates and other children and young people. This is an enormous proportion in the school context.

As if that were not enough, the results of the “Diversity in the Classroom” study suggest that teachers also have reservations about Muslim students. The discrimination-sensitive education and training of teachers is of particular importance here. Mandatory training on anti-racism must be part of this training, which ends with an exam. Teachers have to learn to work with heterogeneous school classes, they have to be sensitized to racist, anti-Muslim or colonialist teaching material and, in particular, they have to be trained in social pedagogy how to deal with students who are confronted with racism. There is often a lack of concrete structures and measures for processing complaints of discrimination - such as a secure contact or complaints office with competent employees.

But people who flee to Germany and would like to claim educational rights here also encounter discriminatory hurdles, especially when their foreign school qualifications are recognised. As a result, they lack professional qualifications and entry into the labor market is made more difficult. This particularly affects migrant and refugee women. It is not uncommon for them to come from countries that have been affected by war or unrest and that deny them a comprehensive education – in contrast to men. If they then have additional problems in getting their qualifications recognized here, equal access to education is hardly possible. The consequence? For example, employment in underpaid care professions or other low-wage jobs. Finally, the disadvantages in the education system are also reflected in the fact that even with a high level of education, less racially qualified women or children later work in positions in the state apparatus, in business or in politics - essential positions for an equal society. We know from a recent study by the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees that women who are nationals of a third country are still less likely to participate in the German labor market than immigrant men and less often than women without a migration background.

What does an education-oriented and anti-racist education system need? 

• A serious education summit with all relevant representatives from the federal, state and scientific communities is needed so that responsibility can be taken on by the state as a whole.
  
• It is important to sensitize teachers to intercultural issues and to promote diversity so that disadvantages are eliminated and students can contact school social workers and educators without fear. This gives parents and students a sense of security.
  
• Teaching content and school materials must be checked against racism. Only then can a placement with students take place. Topics such as (German) colonial history, the history of black people in Germany, migration and refugee movements in Europe must be included in the curricula.
  
• Offices, authorities and schools have been calling for anti-discrimination laws at state level for some time so that gaps in protection can be closed. We agree with this demand.
  
• Educational practice is needed with learning opportunities that are adapted to the individual learning levels of students.
  
• Refugee and migrant women must be given knowledge about educational opportunities. These offers must enable them to experience education, to have qualifications recognized or to catch up.

Sources:

https://deutsches-schulportal.de/bildungswesen/nationaler-bildungsbericht-die-wichtigsten-fakten-zur-bildung-in-deutschland-2022/

https://www.stiftung-mercator.de/content/uploads/2020/12/Vielfalt_im_Klassenzimmer_final.pdf

BAMF - Federal Office for Migration and Refugees - Infothek - Integration of migrants in Germany

DaMigra e. V. represents the interests of women migrant organizations and their concerns and is committed to equal opportunities, equal participation and equality for women with a migration background and refugee experience in Germany. DaMigra follows the approach of anti-racist feminism.