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Immigrant students in Germany are lagging behind their native classmates, according to a new report.
Nearly three in four students who left school without certification in 2023 came from immigrant backgrounds. Under the German system, students not looking to attend university attain certification at the age of 15 or 16.
“Those in Germany who leave school or job training without a qualification disproportionately come from an immigrant background,” said Sebastian Schilgen, managing director of Malteser Hilfsdienst. “We cannot be content with this.”
The 116-page report was published Aug. 13 in German and publicly announced via X on Sept. 18. Written by Professor Lars Feld of the Walter Eucken Institute, the report provides data and analysis on German migration trends, those trends’ impact on the labor market and educational institutions, and what the author believes to be structural inequalities immigrants face in Germany.
Malteser Hilfsdienst, which published the report, is a relief organization sponsored by the Catholic Order of Malta.
The report identifies language barriers as the biggest factor in immigrants’ difficulty integrating into and succeeding at German schools.
Many students from immigrant families do not hear German in the home. They are also far less likely than native-born Germans to receive a kindergarten education, which can help young children’s language skills.
As of 2024, 14% of children in publicly funded childcare spoke no German whatsoever, according to The European Conservative. According to a recent study by the German Economic Institute reported by Bild, German states with a higher percentage of students from non-German-speaking households had worse literacy rates. Early struggles with literacy can lead to issues across academic disciplines and can even bode poorly for long-term professional success.
“Compared with their peers, children from immigrant families achieve worse results in mathematics and science,” Feld said, according to The European Conservative. “This must not be allowed to continue.”
These educational issues could lead to significant problems for Germany’s future because more than a third of all students in the nation are from an immigrant background, according to The European Conservative.
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