Saxony-Anhalt: More and more foreign students are fighting with German!

Saxony-Anhalt: More and more foreign students are fighting with German!

In Saxony-Anhalt, a clear increase in pupils can be observed who come from abroad and often speak little or no German. The fact presents the regular schools in front of immense challenges and means that the country must spend significant sums for additional German lessons. Minister of Education Eva Feussner emphasizes that the schools, especially those with a high proportion of children with a migration background, are reaching their stress limits.

Currently around 214,000 students in Saxony-Anhalt have around 21,000 from abroad. In cities like Magdeburg, this proportion already reaches 16 percent, which continues to complicate the situation.

bottlenecks in language support

The need for language support in schools is clear, but fewer and fewer institutions can meet these requirements. In order to counteract this, a school in Weißenfels, which is designed exclusively for foreign children, started operating in February. German lessons at this institution are carried out by teachers of the euro schools, a private educational institution.

Cooperation with external service providers spreads quickly. Similar projects are planned in Magdeburg and Halle, which are also to be implemented in cities such as Naumburg, Zeitz and Merseburg. In addition to the euro schools, the Weißenfels educational academy and the adult education centers are also involved in language support. The lessons are often held in separate rooms because the existing capacities in schools are not sufficient.

This initiative is financed by the Corona special fund, whereby the country will provide around 3.7 million euros by 2026. In addition, one hopes for additional funding from the federal government's starting chances. The annual 23.7 million euros that Saxony-Anhalt receives benefit eleven schools where many children learn with inadequate knowledge of German.

In addition, schools have concluded cooperation contracts worth 300,000 euros. In order to cover the need for teachers, the country is looking for around 50 specialists who can teach German as a target language and take on preparatory classes.

The challenge is clear: the integration of pupils with different language skills not only requires financial means, but also a creative and flexible educational concept that responds to the needs of children. The situation continues by media such as www.bild.de carefully observed.