Stuttgart closes 13 classes for refugee children – what now?

Stuttgart closes 13 classes for refugee children – what now?

In Stuttgart, a city known for its cultural diversity, 13 international preparatory classes for refugee children and young people have to close this school year. This decision reflects the decline in numbers in recent months, as the Stuttgart school authority expects the trend to continue. The increase in refugee and immigrant children and young people was 11.7 percent in the last school year, but has recently decreased, as the Stuttgart News report. In total there will be 68 preparatory classes at 47 locations in the new school year, a decrease from 81 classes in July.

Despite the decline, Stuttgart has also taken positive steps to provide educational opportunities for refugee children. The schools are aware of their responsibility and do everything they can to create prospects and a new home for the immigrants. This cultural diversity not only shapes the city itself, but also the community at the schools, where every child can recognize and promote individual opportunities, they say Baden-Württemberg school portal.

Restricted accessibility for refugee children

The statistics show that of the 1,153 students in preparatory classes in July, 64 percent have a refugee background. What is particularly worrying is that not all school-age children can be accommodated close to home, as many emergency accommodations exceed the capacity of the surrounding schools. It was also found that more and more older refugee students are coming to Stuttgart - including 705 in secondary school and 448 in primary school age.

An additional problem is that some of the older children have no school experience, which makes integration into the German education system more difficult. This is also evident in the preparatory and language classes, which are often taught separately from the regular classes. In recent years, the social discussion about inclusion in the German education system has become louder. It is a claim that enables all children, regardless of background and ability, to have access to education in regular classes, but this claim is often in contradiction to reality, as is the case Bertelsmann Foundation shows.

Model projects to support

In order to help refugee young people without school experience, a model learning workshop project was launched in cooperation with the State Education Authority and the company Vector. This learning workshop in Weilimdorf, which is attached to the community school, has been offering four classes since this school year and is aimed specifically at children and young people who have no school experience. This initiative is a positive approach to address the challenges and make it easier for those affected to integrate into the education system.

It remains exciting to see how the situation develops. The reduction in classes can also be seen as positive, as it could represent a stabilization in the number of students, but the challenge remains to adequately support all children and support them on their journey. The diverse social and cultural backgrounds of children must be taken into account in order to ensure true integration.