BĘŘŁŸŇ

Özcan Mutlu, MdA

Brief History of Germany and its “Guests”

Most West European countries have experienced high immigration and growing ratios of foreign-born residents among their populations in the last decades, especially Germany.

Germany never meant to become a melting pot of cultures. Migration was intended to meet the needs for foreigner labour during the economic boom of the 50´s and 60´s.

Brief History of Germany and its “Guests”

Therefore Germany asked many European countries like Italy, Spain… and Turkey for labour force. The ones who came were called guest workers, mostly workers with low educational and vocational qualifications.

Many of the so-called guest workers believed they would return to their home countries after a few years of working abroad.

The German society, was quite intent on drawing a strict bureaucratically line between the Germans and the so-called guest workers.

Germany Today!

There are mainly three groups of immigrants living in Germany:

One group of them are the refugees. Most of them came in search for political

asylum. A population of 2 million refugees in different

legal categories is estimated to live in Germany.

Germany Today!

A second group of immigrants are the labour migrants – the former guest workers.

They constitute population of about 6 million people currently.

75% of them is living in Germany for more than 25 years.

Two thirds of the immigrants below the age of 25 were born in Germany.

Germany Today!

A third group of immigrants are the ethnic Germans from eastern Europe (Aussiedler).

They are naturalized after fulfilling some criteria at arrival and have the same rights and obligations as German "natives“.

Nowadays, the number of immigrants is around 10 million.

Persons With and Without Migration Background in Germany, 2005

9%

10%

81%

Legal foreign residents(7,3 million)

Germans with migrationbackground (8 million)

Germans withoutmigration background(67,1 million)

New Phase of German Migration Policy

Immigration Law – new Law appointed For first time, immigration and integration

addressed by one Law But: several strategic, tactical and technical

questions still unanswered

New Law I

New structure: reduction of number of residence titles to two and New Federal Office for Immigration and Refugees

Labour migration: permanent residence for highly qualified; promotion of the settlement of self-employed; possibility for students to stay in Germany for up to one year; one-stop government for residence/work permit

New Law II

Refugees: refugee status also in case of non-state and genderspecific persecution; improved status for persons enjoying subsidiary protection; Hardship Commission

Family reunification: up to 18 years for children of recognized refugees otherwise: 16 years

Integration: language training courses primarily for new immigrants, limited access for others: sanctions

Immigration and Integration

Despite an immigration history of 50 years, immigrants are still treated as foreigners in general.

Integration as an ongoing process, is still considered as a one-way street – it´s the duty of the immigrants themselves.

The unemployment rate among immigrants is twice as high as that of the Germans.

Immigration and Integration

There seems to be evidence that immigrants labour market position became more difficult after the unification – especially in Berlin!

An other issue is violence against immigrants. In the past few years there has been

considerable racist violence in Germany. Extreme right wing parties, like the NPD are

gaining support.

BERLIN

Most populous – and beautiful city of Germany. 13,3% of its 3.39 million inhabitants are non-

Germans, largest group: Turkish – nearly 140.000 .

Also called “The largest Turkish city, west of the Bosporus” by the public.

Immigration allowed the city to transform into a European metropolis.

Immigration to Berlin

Divided City – Berlin was hit most severely by the demographic consequences of the Cold War.

New influx of labor migrants in the 1960s met the demographic demand of West Berlin promptly and facilitated a deceleration in its population shrinkage.

Demography

Lower births-rates and longer life-spans mean that Germany‘s population is simultaneously ageing and shrinking whereas the population of people with migration background increases.

German economic system, welfare state depends on large number of gainfully employed young people.

Short term measures cannot offset long term trend.

INTEGRATION THROUGH EDUCATION

Migrant Youth in Berlin

School System in Berlin

Grundschule (Elementary school) can be preceded by voluntary Kindergarten or Vorschulklassen (preparatory classes for elementary school) and lasts six years.

Afterwards there are basically four options as to secondary schooling: Hauptschule (the least academic), Realschule (middle school, until grade 10), Gymnasium (grammar school with Abitur as exit exam, qualifying for university) and Gesamtschule (comprehensive school, with all the options of the three „tracks above“.

Distribution of pupils in Berlin 2005/2006

0100002000030000400005000060000700008000090000

Hauptsc

hule

Realsch

ule

Gymnas

ium

Gesam

tschu

le

non-german background

german

all in all

Migrant Youth - Education

Widening gap between the educational qualifications of children of the ethnic minorities and other children of the same age.

Children of non-German background finish school in disproportionately high numbers after the ninth or tenth grade.

The chance for a student of German background, to participate at higher education is four times higher(OECD PISA-Study 2003).

Migrant Youth - Education

Drop-out rate without attainment of any certificate is much higher than their German classmates.

The unemployment rate among young immigrants (age 25 and below) is 49%.

No role models around, almost everyone in the family is unemployed.

Graduation in relation to the population of the same age (2004)

0 20 40 60

without any degree

CSE(Hauptschulabschl)

mittlerer Abschluss

qualification foruniversity (Abitur)

german

non-german background

Integration through Education

Integration – no adaptation or assimilation! Equal opportunities in education to participate in

social life. Education determines life chances and social

status. Fluent German language skills as key for

success and integration. Education policy = Integration policy.

Integration through Education

Reform of the educational system. Intense language advancement. Improvement of preschool and language

advancement. Improvement of the learning and teaching

conditions.

Integration through Education

Life and experiences of the youth with migration background have to be mirrored in the daily school routine.

Reform of the school books and the curricula – more intercultural education.

Schools have to respect the reality of Germany as an immigration country.

Reform of the Teacher-Training.

Integration through Education

Encouraging Parents to take more responsibility for the education of their children.

Educating the Parents. More multilingual Teachers and Educators in

Schools and Kindergartens!

“First class democracies cannot afford to have second class

citizens”

Martin Luther King

Özcan Mutlu, MdA

Niederkirchnerstr. 5, 10111 Berlin

Phone: +4930 2325 2426 / Fax: +4930 2325 2409

Email: oezcan.mutlu@gruene-fraktion-berlin.de

www.mutlu.de