Education continues to open many doors in our society and increases the chances of social advancement and financial security. However, many Germans with a migrant background are still denied this opportunity. Just 14% of 20 to 30-year-old Germans with a migration background start studying. Although the trend has been increasing for years, it is still almost 10% below the rate of first-year students without a migration background.
The reason for this is often the financial burden that studying brings with it; many families with a migrant background still tend to have low incomes. This is also the view of Prof. Dr. Andrä Wolter, educational researcher at the Humboldt University Berlin. For many people, the prospect of BaföG doesn't change this, as it has to be repaid up to a value of 10,000 euros after the end of your studies. The Hans Böckler Foundation has also recognized this and, since 2007, has been awarding targeted scholarships to young people whose families cannot finance their studies as part of the “Böckler Education Campaign” (BAB) . More than two thirds of the current scholarship holders are the first in their families to study, and a good quarter have a migrant background.
This also applies to 19-year-old Jusra Esmahil. She is the first in her family to study. When she was young, her family fled Iraq. “I was lucky and was able to learn the German language in kindergarten. It didn't happen so quickly with my parents, which is why I was on my own when it came to homework from the beginning of my school days." After the fourth grade, she received a recommendation for secondary school and then made her way through the various types of school. Last year, Jusra graduated from high school and began studying law at the Goethe University in Frankfurt am Main as a BAB scholarship holder.
Jusra receives 900 euros a month from the foundation, the maximum BaföG rate of 600 euros plus 300 euros for further study expenses. “Without the scholarship, I would have had to take up a part-time job when I started university and would have neither time to devote to my studies nor to my socio-political commitment,” says the 19-year-old.
Managing Director of the Hans Böckler Foundation Dr. Wolfgang Jäger is convinced of BAB, but he admits that the problem of unequal educational opportunities cannot be solved through the support of his foundation alone. “We see that the need is much greater. Around 9,000 people have applied for our 1,000 BAB places to date alone, and that is probably only a small sample of those interested. It is likely that many young people who cannot be supported will not take up studies for financial reasons.” This not only leaves many doors closed to them, but also leaves a lot of potential and many opportunities unused for German society.
