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November 25th, 2014

Can Germany adopt a multicultural educational system?

Multiculturalism is becoming increasingly important nowadays. It is also a very
current topic at school. Banks and Banks define multicultural education as being a field of
study and an emerging discipline whose major aim is to create equal educational opportunities
for students from diverse racial, ethnic, social-class, and cultural groups (Banks and Banks;
1995). What does this definition state, and can the concept of multicultural education be
applied to the German educational system?
Multicultural education is a popular issue in German schools. How can I design my
classes so that every student, no matter what cultural background, feels addressed? This is the
question which many teachers in Germany are asking themselves at the moment. Schools
should become more open for different groups of students.
Involving students with different backgrounds in the classroom is very important.
Here, it does not matter to which racial, ethnic, social-class, or cultural group they belong.
Only when every student feels addressed in the classroom, are they motivated; otherwise, they
feel bored very quickly, because they cannot identify themselves with the class.
Mary Yuhfill mentioned in her essay Lets tell the Story of All Americas Cultures, that
unity in schools is very important, as is a strong class community, in order to make students
feel comfortable and enjoy learning in a safe learning environment. When children do not
enjoy going to school because they feel uncomfortable there, they will not learn much and
will probably not want to go to school anymore at some stage.
In the school year 2015/2016, there will be a new curriculum in German schools (in
Baden-Wrttemberg). Inclusion and diversity are a new big part of this curriculum. Equal
education opportunities, equality of ethnic groups, integration of immigrants, and
advancement of acceptance of disadvantaged and handicapped people are the new important
topics with which teachers must deal in the future. The major goal is to clarify to every
student that everyone, no matter where someone comes from or how he or she looks, is equal
and that every student has the same right to go to school and to learn. This is probably a
difficult task, because normal students must accept that disabled children are allowed to
learn with them in the same classroom. It will not only be difficult for the students but also
challenging for teachers who do not have any experience working with students who are
mentally handicapped for example.
I think that the upcoming curriculum is a good concept. It is important to include all

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children, regardless whether disabled or not, into one school and not keep them separated
from one another. This concept will only be successful, however, when all teachers and all
schools participate. No matter which students are in a class, teachers must treat them all
equally and try to cater to their needs (if needed).
Nevertheless, no one can say whether the rate of success will be as high as many
people would like to see it. No one can imagine how students will accept this new concept
because there are not many schools in which this has already been tested. Unfortunately, the
new upcoming curriculum and the linked concept of inclusion and diversity remains only an
idea of politicians. No one knows how it will work in the future. Regardless what success rate
the new curriculum will have in the upcoming years, every human is created equal and has the
right to receive the best possible education.