Thursday, October 28, 2021
OECD criticizes the German system
High migration rate endangers school success
The OECD regularly gives Germany a bad rating for educational equity. Children with a migrant background attend the same schools more and more often. But the higher their share in the class, the greater the technical deficit. A different integration policy is required.
Children and young people with a history of migration are increasingly attending the same schools in Germany. This is evident from the data presented by the OECD. The effect increased in the study period from 2006 to 2018. The OECD is an association of 38 developed industrial countries.
Students at institutions with many classmates with a migrant background are therefore sometimes significantly behind in terms of school compared to students from other institutions – even if factors such as gender, mother’s education or the language spoken at home are factored out. This is also due to the early breakdown of the school system after elementary school and the fact that most students in this country only go to school half a day, said Thomas Liebig, who works as an economist at the OECD on migration issues.
According to the OECD, new immigrants in Germany, as in other countries, are mainly drawn to the cities and then to certain parts of the city, where there are already more compatriots from their country of origin. They could find their way there more easily, even without knowledge of the German language, and might get help with looking for an apartment, with dealing with authorities or with work. “Immigration to these parts of the city with high concentration brings advantages for newcomers in the short term, but disadvantages in the long term,” warned Liebig, who referred to language skills or opportunities for advancement on the job market – in addition to the effect for schoolchildren.
Liebig’s conclusion: “We should actually orient our integration policy much more towards these parts of the city and not proceed so much according to the watering can principle.” Targeted support for schools in such areas and more language training are needed, as well as incentives for immigrants to move to other districts. This could be achieved, for example, with social housing and with measures against discrimination when looking for accommodation.