It circulates the illusion that children in rich countries like Germany automatically have equal opportunities in education due to the fact that access to education is free of charge and thus, available for everyone. Undoubtedly, children in Germany enjoy the right of free kindergarten, free primary and secondary school and even free university which is a privilege that can be highly appreciated. However, it stays questionable if this is sufficient to guarantee full educational equity.
“What would you like to be when you grow up?“ Children’s eyes start to shine brightly: Lisa wants to become a doctor, Cem is dreaming of a job as a pilot and Stephan strives for a career in the police force. You wish to ensure them that they all can become what they are dreaming of. Probably Lisa can, because her mother works as a lawyer and her father is CEO in an insurance company. But many others cannot fulfill their dreams according to a recent UNICEF study. In terms of educational equity, Germany is only found in the lower midfield compared to other industrialized countries (Spiegel, 2018). That being said, it seems appropriate to talk about inequality in education in a developed country like Germany, even though the topic was already considered closed by many experts and not worth thinking about anymore.
In order to measure equity in education, two dimensions have to be taken into account. The first is fairness, which basically means making sure that personal and social circumstances, for example gender, socio-economic status or ethnic origin, should not be an obstacle to achieving educational potential. The second is inclusion, ensuring a basic minimum standard of education for all, so that everyone should be able to read, write and do simple arithmetic (OECD, 2018).
What are the main problems in the German educational system and policy that cause educational inequality?
According to recent studies, ability gaps – cognitive and noncognitive – between the advantaged and disadvantaged open up early in the lives of children. Family environments of young children are major predictors of cognitive and socioemotional abilities. If society intervenes early enough, it can raise cognitive and socioemotional abilities (Heckman, 2008). Consequently, the foundation for educational success is determined far earlier before attending primary school. In Germany, compulsory education starts at the age of six. Attendance at a kindergarten is not mandatory which prevents children from achieving a uniform skillset before primary school. In particular, children with migrant background could get the opportunity to learn German and children coming from low-education households could be promoted earlier as early interventions can make a huge difference in a child’s life. Teachers in primary school usually complain about heterogeneous school classes and a lack of time for individual support. As a solution, investments in early childhood education and care contribute to eliminate negative influence of family backgrounds.
Furthermore, educational policy is the responsibility of the states in Germany. As a result of numerous reforms in recent years, in all 16 states, the educational landscape differentiated more and more. This results in huge differences in level of graduates. Thus, a high school graduate in Bavaria, for example, enjoyed a much higher level of education and therefore, achieved a slightly worse final grade than the high school graduate in Berlin whose school did not have a high level. If these two students apply for the same university place, and the numerus clausus limit would be just between the two student’s final grades, the student with higher level of education would not get the place. This means that different levels of education have an impact on unequal chances regarding tertiary education. Thus, educational policies need to be accounted at national level in order to avoid educational differences between federal states.
The main problem in the German education system which causes educational inequality is found in secondary education. German secondary education includes three types of school. The “Gymnasium” is designed to prepare pupils for higher education and finishes with the final examination A-levels after grade 12 or 13. The “Realschule” has a broader range of emphasis for intermediate pupils and finishes after grade 10, while the “Hauptschule” finishes after grade 9. Many experts argue that the differentiation into different school types happens too early after fourth grade and leads to uncorrectable disadvantages later in life. A child that is send to “Hauptschule” may change school performances in a positive way during puberty, but the low-level school environment makes it hard to find the necessary motivation to rise. As a result, pupils are stuck in educational dead ends having small chances to develop which increases inequality in education. In recent years, many states have introduced the “Gesamtschule” which combines all three types of schools in secondary education and resembles the American high school the most. Although the concept is already being used in all part of the country, it has not been recognized as a sole solution. In long term, such an integrated comprehensive school system should fully replace the existing trisection in secondary education in order to achieve equal opportunities.
Looking at university students, it becomes particularly clear that social background has a significant impact on the chances in higher education. As a result, in Germany, not the smartest children have the best educational opportunities, but the children from the richest families. Out of 100 children from non-academic families, only 27 attend university. On the other hand, if parents have a university degree, 79 out of 100 enjoy tertiary education. Therefore, the chance for academics’ children is about three times higher (Kracke/Middendorff/Buck, 2018). Certainly, the German government already tries to support students from low-income families with social benefits such as the student grant BAföG. Nevertheless, the middle class is neglected. Statistics show that middle class parents have more and more difficulties to support their children as cost of living increased and middle class children are rarely entitled to BAföG (Welt, 2017). That being said, many students are forced to work next to their studies in order to finance themselves. Yet, the proportion of non-academic children with part-time job is much higher in comparison to academics’ children (Bargel, 2010). It is therefore questionable how people can talk about educational justice due to free education if one middle class student needs to work 20 hours a week while studying, and a lower-class student receives the BAföG maximum rate of 735 €. The financial barrier has to be solved by introducing a universal financial promotion for students.
However, even if non-academic children make it through university and achieve a degree as good as one of an academics’ child, they probably won’t have the same chances in the labor markets. Studies show that non-academic children will on average earn less as they cannot rely on a professional network built up by their parents.
In conclusion, this means that Lisa will have the opportunity to become a doctor, but Cem will drop out of college because he had to work too much next to his studies and could not withstand the pressure anymore, and even if Stephan got his master degree, he will make less money than his colleagues from academic families. It is obvious: Equal educational opportunities in Germany are definitely an illusion!
References:
- Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Ten Steps to Equity in Education, January 2008, https://www.oecd.org/education/school/39989494.pdf
- Heckman, James J., Schools, Skills, and Synapses in: Economic Inquiry, Vol. 46, No. 3, July 2008, p. 289-324, http://jenni.uchicago.edu/papers/Heckman_2008_EI_v46_n3. pdf
- Kracke, N., Middendorff, E., Buck, D., Beteiligung an Hochschulbildung, Chancen(un)gleickeit in Deutschland in: DZHW Brief, March 2018, https://www.dzhw.eu/services/meldungen/detail?pm_id=1523
- Bargel, Tino / Bargel, Holger, Ungleichheiten und Benachteiligungen im Hochschulstudium aufgrund der sozialen Herkunft der Studierenden, Arbeitspapier 202, 2010, https://www.boeckler.de/22525_22530.htm#
- Welt Online – Vitzthum, Thomas, Akademikerkinder dominieren mehr denn je die Universitäten, June 2017, https://www.welt.de/politik/deutschland/article165975301/Akademikerkinder-dominieren-mehr-denn-je-die-Universitaeten.html
- Spiegel Online, Deutschland bei Bildungsgerechtigkeit nur im Mittelfeld, October 2018, http://www.spiegel.de/lebenundlernen/schule/unicef-studie-deutschland-bei-bildungsgerechtigkeit-nur-im-mittelfeld-a-1235821.html
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