My friend Katharina at the head of the line

During the Global Media Forum (GMF), I met the students Hendrik and Isabelle who go to a school for physically impaired students. They participated in an exchange program between their school and a Tunisian school. Right now, Germany is talking a lot about the issue of education for the disabled because two years ago the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities went into effect – including in Germany. It stipulates that disabled children should attend so-called regular schools and should no longer be left out on the basis of their handicaps. As it stands now, the non-disabled have little contact with disabled students. Personally, I just have contact to an uncle of mine, who attended a regular school years ago, but today lives in a facility for the disabled and works in a factory with other workers with handicaps. My friend Katharina also gives me some insight into the daily lives of people with disabilities. She is preparing to become a teacher specialized in working with the disabled. So she was exactly the right person to talk to on the topic of educating the disabled in Germany.

Katharina, during the GMF a Tunisian teacher said that mentally-handicapped children have disadvantages when they go to a regular school instead of a special school for children with handicaps. What do you think about this statement?

Actually, I think she’s right. In my class, I had two children with Down syndrome. They came to our school after finishing fourth grade at a regular elementary school. Both have learned, for instance, the technique of reading, but they don’t understand what they read. They’re too preoccupied with the process itself. The same happens when they do arithmetic: They haven’t acquired the basics.

Do you think that would be different if they had gone to a school for handicapped children earlier?

Probably. Because we aim at teaching each child individually. The whole class works on one topic, but each child works according to his competencies. If we notice that a child doesn’t have the basics of math down, we don’t teach him more advanced topics because it isn’t relevant at his development stage. At normal schools, in contrast, certain basics and development stages are taken for granted. There, teachers don’t have the time to concentrate on a handicapped child and teach him according to his needs.

What kinds of basics do you teach children before they can move on to more advanced mathematical techniques?

What is important is recognizing patterns and rules. We work very playfully. Our students, e.g., thread pearls on a string in a given order. At first the aim is that they recognize that the colors of the pearls follow a certain pattern: A yellow pearl is always followed by a red one which is followed by a blue one and so on. Later on students will be able to recognize succession patterns of numbers.

You work only with handicapped children at your school. But according to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, children with and without handicaps are to be taught together in the future. Do you think this a good decision?

Inclusion should be the watch word for school activities

Generally, this decision is overdue. In Germany, persons without disabilities don’t really know about the lives of handicapped persons. But they are part of our society! For several centuries, our state has excluded them partly by establishing special institutions for the handicapped: kindergartens, schools, workshops and so forth. When that’s done just to make sure we don’t come in contact with persons with disabilities, I think that’s wrong.

Do you think German politicians are taking the right steps to realize the convention’s aims?

It is good that they have recognized the need to change something. Yet, no additional money is invested into education, but we would need this money in order to make individual support of children possible. Often schools don’t have enough means to work with given children individually – particularly, at regular schools. Behind all of the political reforms that have been started, I don’t see any real strategy.

What is needed to support children with disabilities at regular schools?

First, smaller classes are needed! 15 students would be perfect. Research shows that all children profit from smaller groups. Additionally, more personnel is necessary, especially if we want to include children with disabilities in regular classes. In addition to a regular schoolteacher and a teacher trained to work with children with disabilities, an additional expert on relevant pedagogical issues is needed. With smaller classes and more personnel, inclusion would no longer be questioned but taken for granted. We should enable everybody to study according to his abilities. Our whole society has been called upon to realize integration. In schools, integration has just been started. But we have to fully accept persons with disabilities in our society, also outside of our classrooms.

Many cultures and colors: one goal

Traveling over long distances can be exhausting, but sometimes it can be also rewarding depending on the comfort of the flight and the route. As I returned home from the Global Media Forum, I had over four hours to wait for my flight from Germany to Nairobi. I took advantage of those long hours to read some newspapers.

Even though I was not looking for articles on education, all the newspapers I read touched on this topic, reminding me that it is an issue that affects all areas of our life. Articles in a German publication and in a publication from the Gulf region that I read took up the same questions of culture and education.

The German publication stressed the importance of German institutions becoming more international so that Germany can produce excellent students and scientists able to compete on a global platform. My father would agree. He encouraged us to attend schools beyond our home area. His thought was that by living in these cultures, we would learn some soft skills beyond the subjects taught in class, such as intercultural communication and tolerance of people different from us. He, therefore, was happy to let me study in Germany with others from more than 10 other cultures. I described this before as a ‘global classroom.’ The article proposed that more universities in Germany should have a strategy to internationalize themselves. I think Germany has already started this, taking an example of the master’s program I did, which was not only composed of international students and teachers but was also taught partly in English and in German.

Globalization at our finger tips

The other article from a publication in Dubai posed the question: Who are internationally educated children? The publication asserted that children benefit from stepping outside of their own culture. Globalization and its effects on education and on life in general demand from us that we extend our knowledge beyond our horizons. The so-called ‘international students/learners’ are more tolerant of different cultures, races, religions, opinions, and, as such, may be less prejudiced. Even later when they start working, they are more marketable on the job market, as multi-cultural skills are one of the strengths that international companies look for.

In Kenya, there are just a few international students, either on exchange or learning English from China and Turkey. I think the low number is mostly the result of doubt about the quality of education here. Kenya also needs a strategy to internationalize its education system – especially at the universities – to make it attractive for international students and professors.

Emmy, María, Hellgurd and I during the boat tour on the first evening of the GMF

After having spent three days at the Global Media Forum, my feelings remind me of those after a class trip or a big festival: I’m very exhausted but at the same time all wound up.

Emmy, María, and I have already talked a little about the discussions and workshops we participated in. Our entries show how different the workshops were. Some topics actually appeared to be too complex to be discussed in depth within 90 minutes. But I’ve got a lot of food for thought out of all of them; I’ve discovered new organizations, approaches and people. For example, the pupils Isabelle van der Valk and Hendrik Rösler who go to the Christophorus School for physically impaired children in Bonn. Their school organizes an awesome exchange program with a Tunisian school for kids with handicaps. This program enables the German students, on the one hand, to smell the salty air of the Mediterranean and the Tunisians, on the other hand, to see Germany at least once in their life.

Besides the vice principal of the German school, the president of the organization UTAIM El May, which the Tunisian school belongs to, and a Tunisian teacher were in Bonn. They had come directly from the Tunisian island Djerba to Germany. Isabelle and Hendrik have done the trip before – to Tunisia and back again. Isabelle especially liked the Medina, the ancient town. Hendrik had a lot of fun during the bus trips: “It was pretty cramped in the small bus. But we all got closer to each other on the way.”

Vice principal Jürgen Hammerschlag-Mäsgen talked about reciprocal learning: In Tunisia, he discovered that a German method of construction had been used there. His colleagues have shown him ways to prepare his students for the regular job market. Without special workshops for the handicapped, Tunisians have to find other kinds of work for their graduates. “With little resources, we’ve got to think of new ways and be creative,” said Rabiaa Ouerimi, teacher in El May, thus showing a striking difference between Tunisia and Germany: Her school doesn’t get governmental funding except for the teachers’ salaries.

Jürgen Hammerschlag-Mäsgen from the Christophorus School

The children profit a lot from the program, too: They get to know a new culture, practice English and can do exceptional things – such as picking olives in wheel chairs. And, of course, media plays a role in the exchange, too. Via Skype, the kids establish and keep contact with each other. They send e-mails with texts and pictures. And, as teenagers, they stay connected via Facebook, of course.

This project showed me again how important the commitment of individual persons is. If the teachers hadn’t put so much energy into realizing their dream of a German-Tunisian exchange program, it probably would have never come true. To reach this aim, collecting donations and filling out grant proposals was decisive, but also convincing parents. In the beginning, many were skeptical about the program, Ouerimi says. But in the tenth year of the cooperation, people can see how good of an opportunity it is. Now parents come and ask to have their children participate. In Germany, the program is supported by ENSA, an organization that promotes educational exchange between Germany and developing countries for the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.

I definitely want to talk with my friend Katharina about this program and about her opinion on Ms. Ouerimi’s statement that mentally disabled children are discriminated against at normal schools. I’m curious about Katharina’s opinion, as she is becoming a teacher for handicapped kids.

Thorsten uses the internet for his studies

My family members have taken different paths through the German educational system. To offer you more insight, I interviewed my cousins and my brother. In my first interview, I’m speaking to my cousin Thorsten, 26, who went to school in Germany and Canada. He thinks schools should offer a broad-based education to further society’s cohesion.

What are you doing at the moment?

Thorsten: I’m working on my Master thesis in IT Management at a University of Applied Sciences.

How do you finance your studies?

I’m doing a dual program which means I’m working for a company, earning money there, and I’m studying at the same time.

Did you receive your high school diploma in Germany?

No, I got my diploma from Bishops College School, a Canadian boarding school. Before that I had gone to a Gesamtschule in North-Rhine Westphalia. [An overview of the German school system is available here.]

Comparing your experiences from a Canadian boarding school with those from your German Gesamtschule: What aspects should the two countries learn from each other?

Well, when I compare sixth form in Canada to the Abitur in Germany, I think there are two approaches: The German system still tries to give their pupil a very broad education, while the Canadian (Ontario equivalent) system at my school tried to prepare us for university. In Canada, that meant I only had six main subjects which prepared me for a scientific degree at university, while the German system has many more subjects.

So, which system do you prefer?

It really depends on what one wants to achieve: Do you want your pupils to have very broad knowledge and to deepen their understanding in a specific subject at university? Or should the subject area narrow itself at the end of sixth form to prepare for university? I personally believe it’s better to have a very broad knowledge base at the end of your school career and deepen your knowledge in specific subjects at university.

Why do you think so?

Because I think that society can be more united if everybody is able to communicate with one another. Moreover, everybody personally can profit of a better education because you can develop your own opinion.

Have you felt lost out because you went to a sixth form and got a more specialized degree?

No, thanks to today’s technology I was able to acquire a lot of knowledge. If I want to know something, I can Google the basics of a particular subject within minutes.

In Germany, children of parents without a college education have fewer opportunities to receive an Abitur or to study. What should be done against this inequality, in your opinion?

A football game at Thorsten's Canadian school

I think one of the problems is the way the German system divides students very early into three different kinds of schools after elementary school. I believe every school system should leave it open up to the end whether pupils want to do their Abitur, whether they want to study or not. Thus, all children should be taught together at one school which supports children according to their individual strengths, as the school did that I went to in Germany until tenth grade.

Should the Gymnasium be abolished?

No, it can be kept. But what is important is that all children are individually supported, and this is required at all schools. And here the way of teaching becomes important.

How should teachers teach their students?

I think it’s time to completely re-think schooling. This will happen anyways. It’s only a matter of time. Technology opens new opportunities.

What kinds of opportunities do you mean?

For example, means that enable us to learn from any location. By using those, a five-year-old could theoretically already participate in a university course. In particularly, I’m thinking of models of the Khan Academy, which are already used at schools.

What is the Khan Academy?

Speaking broadly, it is an online platform to study. Kids can acquire the theoretical basics of a subject with videos and digital exercises. Afterwards they put it into practice in group works, discussions, and so on. Teachers follow their students’ progress with the help of the platform and see what kind of individual support their students need.

Do you, therefore, see the key to more equality in the smart use of technologies?

Yes – combined with a good mentoring system. The future of education is in Web 2.0, and the country that uses this potential first will be the first to profit from it – first within its society and then in an economic way.

...Finally a decision from the BaföG office?

In my last entry, I wrote about my motivation for founding the local chapter of ArbeiterKind.de in Mainz. Today I want to share some of the experiences I have had through my activities for this organization as well as those of my friends.

One statement comes immediately to mind for me:

“I didn’t tell them that I was receiving BaföG [educational loans and grants available from the state in Germany]. And I felt so terrible as they were criticizing ‘all of those cheaters who would steal money from the state’.”

I vividly remember how a friend told me about this situation. I could still see how much she had been hurt by her fellow students who were trashing recipients of BaföG. My friend is a hard-working young woman who always worked to support herself while studying. But she couldn’t earn enough money to pay for all of her expenses. She didn’t want to cheat anybody but just needed the money to be able to do her degree. Her family couldn’t finance her studies.

“The biggest issue is that many people don’t know how much information you need to give to the agency for receiving BaföG,” my friend told me. Through my work for ArbeiterKind.de, I know what she meant by that: You have to fill out piles of papers, and you need a lot of official documents that prove that neither you nor your parents earn or have saved more money than the regulations allow. This situation is especially difficult for students who don’t have any contact with their parents any more. The agencies normally don’t allow applications with missing documents, and it can be quite dramatic for young people to try to get back in touch with their families.

When we go to schools with ArbeiterKind.de, many students ask us how much BaföG they can count on. We can’t tell them. While there is an online calculator, the legal rules that define how much every person can receive are very complicated. Thus, normally, you can’t be sure whether you’ll get a student loan or not – nor how much money you’ll receive. The maximum amount you can receive is 670 Euro a month. Depending on the city you live in, this isn’t a lot of money. Moreover, students regularly have to turn in new requests for the funds. So they often do not know for sure how much money they will receive in the coming months.

There’s also the issue that it takes a long time from the time of requesting BaföG until you receive a decision. During that time, you don’t get any money. This is a terrible situation for young people depending on this state loan.

Many incoming students don't know all of their options when it comes to funding

What we realized by talking to parents and students who don’t know the BaföG system is that many are afraid of taking on debt. We explain to them that half of the loans don’t have to paid back to the state and that there is no interest on the other half. Martin, one of our mentors from ArbeiterKind.de, always explains it this way: “Of every euro you spend from your BaföG money, 50 cents are a present to you. So don’t be a fool. If you are in a financially tight situation, apply for BaföG.” While explaining, he always draws a circle and divides it into two halves, symbolizing what you have to pay back and what you are given for free.

Another thing many parents and even teachers don’t know is that high school students can receive BaföG, too. I never miss out on the chance to inform classes about this possibility whenever I’m making a presentation in a classroom. BaföG is a great opportunity to receive support – but as with scholarships and other benefits, often the people that need them most don’t know about them, have unjustified worries or wrong information. With ArbeiterKind.de, we try to work against this lack of information and to support people in the sticky situation of asking for help from the state.