Germany is suffering from a serious education crisis.

The poor performance of foreigners and students with migrant backgrounds in PISA tests is often attributed to teachers’ discrimination. However, a new study has found the opposite, showing that German children are actually the ones subjected to discrimination.

„Children from migrant backgrounds or socially disadvantaged households frequently receive better grades,”

said Sarah Bredtmann, a researcher at the University of Duisburg-Essen, Der Spiegel reported. Teachers, often unconsciously, try to elevate children with a migrant background by grading them more favourably, perceiving them as socially disadvantaged. This, however, has serious consequences for the German education system, including the fact that tests show that children who graduate from elementary school cannot read and write properly, due to the growing number of students with migrant backgrounds.

An education crisis

Each year, 50 thousand young people in Germany leave school without any qualifications.

„Our society cannot afford this. It is also a financial issue—aside from the implications for the young people themselves. They have no opportunity to complete vocational training, which leads to extreme poverty and hopelessness,”

72-year-old Andrea Pohlmann-Jochheim, a teacher and vice-president of the „Mentor – Die Leselernhelfer” initiative, told Die Welt. One in four children does not learn to read properly by the end of elementary school. The teacher identified several reasons for this: „Our school system is overwhelmed and many urban districts are extremely heterogeneous. Especially in primary schools, it is very difficult for teachers to handle the varying levels of language skills and knowledge. Ideally, children need highly individualized support, but teachers are no longer able to provide this,” she said.

The worsening teacher shortage only exacerbates the situation. The demand for teachers is rising, not least because of the influx of migrants. Experts emphasize that the regions must train more teachers. However, it’s no surprise that a growing number of teachers quit the profession, because in numerous areas, migrants attempt to impose their own cultural norms on schools. For example, radicalised Muslim students were planning to set up a “Sharia police” in a secondary school in Neuss, near Düsseldorf, as V4NA recently reported.

Three of the students in question came from Arab migrant background, while the fourth one was of Italian descent. Their demands included freeing up Friday afternoons so that Muslim students can pray in peace. The 17-19 year old Muslims also called for the reinstatement of outdated punishments such as stoning.

The four Muslim students also insisted on gender segregation, both in classrooms and swimming lessons. According to other students, the group pressured their Muslim classmates to adhere to a conservative interpretation of Islam and its strict rules.