The refugee crisis has made integration in Germany more difficult. And Syrian refugees are the least of the country's problems.
Image: DW/M. Hallam
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The number of people arriving in Germany from other countries has increased in recent years. More than two million people came to Germany in 2015, and nearly one million left the country. All in all, 17 million people with an immigrant background live in Germany, according to German Integration Commissioner Aydan Ozoguz. The title of the integration commissioner's report is also different this year compared with previous years. It used to refer to the "situation of foreigners" in Germany and not to people "with an immigrant background," which reflects the fact that the majority now hold German passports.
A shortage of teachers for German courses
The largest group of immigrants still comes from the European Union (45 percent). If you look more closely at the countries of origin, the main groups that have arrived in Germany are from Turkey (16 percent), Poland (9.9 percent) and Russia (7.1 percent). In 2015 many Syrians entered Germany, and according to Aydan Ozoguz, they are a fine example of integration.
When it comes to participation in integration courses, Syrians top the list, ahead of the Poles. These refugees want to learn German and integrate. "The Syrians are beating a path to our doors," said Ozoguz. That is why there is a dire need for German-language teachers at the moment.
A large discrepancy between the mood and reality
According to the integration commission, many people feel threatened by the 890,000 refugees who arrived in the country last year. Ozoguz says the mood in Germany is disrespectful and tense. "An atmosphere is being created at their expense; sadly, it has nothing to do with the truth," said Ozoguz. The refugee crime rate has been falsely assessed. The integration report includes figures from the Federal Criminal Police Office. Even the numbers shed a good light on the largest new group of immigrants. "We have virtually no crime, especially among Syrian refugees. The feeling in the population is somewhat different and that shows a great discrepancy."
A foreign name is a problem
The report by the federal commissioner for migration, refugees and integration analyzes data collected over the past two years. This covers exactly the period of the great influx of civil war refugees in Germany. Even though Ozoguz believes that Syrians have shown an exemplary attitude, problems are growing. There are already 440,000 children in Germany who do not speak German at home, and the numbers are increasing. Parents with little education are still the greatest obstacle for education, work and integration. Ozoguz added that simply having a foreign name can reduce the chance of getting a job interview.
The ministries need to catch up
Migrants in Germany: a struggle to find a place in societyImage: picture-alliance/dpa/R. Jensen
But Ozoguz also sees success stories in the integration process. Now, almost 90 percent of immigrant children go to daycare. The number of high school graduates with a general qualification for university entrance is rising, and the number of young people who haven't finished school is falling. Some professions, however, are still hard to get into. According to Ozoguz, about 14 percent of people working in German ministries have an immigrant background, whereas the amount for the overall population lies at 21 percent. This imbalance needs to be addressed. But in other ways, the government has done its homework with regard to integration, said Ozoguz. Progress has been made, for example, with the new regulation that allows immigrants to complete an education once it has been started. Syrians will also be able to benefit from this legislative change.
Number of asylum applications has almost halved
The shortage of language courses will probably not be alleviated any time soon. The German government has stressed that last year's situation will not be repeated, and the latest figures from the Federal Agency of Migration and Refugees already reveal what has changed since 2015. In November, only 26,000 applications for asylum were submitted – a 54-percent drop compared to the previous year. But there is one constant: most people are still coming from war-torn Syria.
Refugees learn by doing on German language course in Bonn
Grappling with a new language and alphabet while living in a strange place is hardly a simple task. DW joined a class for asylum seekers on a practical exercise aiming to combine lessons about German - and Germany.
Image: DW/M. Hallam
Refugees head to language school
A new language and alphabet are among the chief challenges awaiting asylum seekers arriving in Germany. Most need help, at least to get started. The good news on this day, however, is that they can leave their satchels, their exercise books, and even their teachers behind - it's time to hit the streets and learn proactively.
Image: DW/M. Hallam
Appetite for learning
The ACB Lingua language school's new "Integration Course" is aimed at recent arrivals. The school sent students on a "treasure hunt" to teach them about Bonn, and to get students to try out some German with strangers. Task 1: "Go to the market - find this stall - what types of fruit and vegetables does it sell?"
Image: DW/M. Hallam
Teaching aids
Do you know the German for "pineapple?" While French and Italian-speakers have no excuse for getting the wrong answer, the students, most of whom speak Arabic, had a harder time. Thankfully clues abound! The team DW accompanied seemed keen for bonus points; they noted down prices, too, though that information was not required.
Image: DW/M. Hallam
Cheating? More like a shortcut
Students were urged not to use their phones and to ask people in German for directions and information instead. However, on finding a passer-by who spoke both German and Arabic, the temptation was too great. Bassam (holding the paper) was kind enough to talk the team through several sentences they couldn't understand.
Image: DW/M. Hallam
'When was Beethoven born?'
Ludwig van Beethoven is arguably Bonn's most famous native. The house where he was born, near the city-center marketplace, serves as a small museum. Radwan Ajouz and his son Ali, originally from Aleppo in Syria, work on their next task. They find magic number: 1770.
Image: DW/M. Hallam
Pick up the pace
Bonus points were on offer for groups that completed the treasure hunt the fastest - with competitors keeping a keen eye on the clock. Still, within around two hours, the tour took them to a string of places they're likely to visit again. One question asked them to find out and note down the opening hours of Bonn's foreign nationals' office (Ausländeramt).
Image: DW/M. Hallam
Getting around town
"Go to Friedensplatz," the team's instructions say, pointing them to another major square in central Bonn. "What is the final destination for bus number 608, and when will the next one arrive?" The 608 also stops fairly close to the Paulus-Heim in Bonn - a former old people's home converted into a refugee shelter, where many in the class live.
Image: DW/M. Hallam
Staff coffee break
Next stop: the city library. There, students should find books in Arabic, Persian or Kurdish, and ask for information on what paperwork they need to borrow books. However, on entry, our reporter was distracted by the sight of the class' teachers chatting over coffee - while their charges did all the hard graft! One of them proudly scrolls through photos of other recent class outings.
Image: DW/M. Hallam
Greetings from Bonn!
"Sit down somewhere," and write a postcard, the class was told, nearing the end of their assignment. "Go to the main post office, buy a stamp and send the postcard. Keep your receipt for the stamp." Another means of communication unlocked - though the task of buying the right stamp for a postcard was a challenge.
Image: DW/M. Hallam
Waiting for the stragglers
This was a longer lesson than usual - with some teams needing more time than others. Early finishers, though, had a game of Pictionary awaiting them: draw something on the board, and whoever names it first (in German, of course!) gets the pen. This game showed quite a gulf between the students; some couldn't contribute, the more advanced were even getting the right genders for the nouns.
Image: DW/M. Hallam
Points mean prizes
ACB Lingua's Alev Erisöv-Reinke had laid on rewards for the groups who scored best on her fact-finding mission around the heart of Bonn. Our team didn't quite make the top three - quite possibly because they were handicapped by a chatty reporter, who was also under orders not to help.
Image: DW/M. Hallam
Victory from jaws of defeat
A surprise to end the day: a bonus prize does go to Radwan Ajouz after all, as the oldest competitor to finish the challenge. Ajouz was all smiles throughout the exercise, shouting "Foto! Foto!" (photo) at all and sundry on DW's behalf, after realizing our need to ask permission. His wife and four of his children are still in Lebanon, having fled Syria.
