Diversity in School: A must read Parent guide for immigrants (Africans) in Hamburg
Dear Parents,
School is an important place for you and your child. After all, your children spend a large part of their day there. They learn and experience how versatile the world can be and the challenges that come with that. For you as parents this often means having to deal with foreign and unfamiliar approaches, habits, traditions and norms. Thus making intercultural experiences and integrating the diversity within the community into day to day life.
For the senator of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, in which individuals from over 180 countries live, this challenge is a central point in his integration policies: integration means seeing variety as enrichment, accepting opportunity and challenge, acknowledging each other based on the values of the constitution and sharing the responsibility for the community. The “intercultural competence” that is often mentioned applies to everyone in Hamburg – locals as well as migrants.
Both groups have skills and knowledge. Consequently both sides need and should learn from each other, move towards each other and work together to ensure that migrants become part of the German society.
These guidelines are intended to aid you, as parents, to have an active part in the structure of everyday school life. It covers questions and answers on certain themes, which result from the cultural and religious variety of students in Hamburg schools. This brochure was created through the cooperation of the Intercultural Education Information Centre of the Hamburg Regional Teacher Training Institute and School Development and a member of the council for integration.
I hope that the advice and information in this brochure is helpful. If you have any questions please feel free to contact the teachers and the cultural agents.
Norbert Rosenboom,
Leiter des Amtes für Bildung
Editors Note:
This and other issues were treated during the 2nd Hon. Kenneth Gbandi/ACF Public Debate: German School System / „Ohne Bildung läuft nichts….“ Please download the PDF by clicking the link below. Few hard copies are still available at ACF office: C/o Hon. Kenneth Gbandi, Haferkamp 2, 22081 Hamburg.
www.li.hamburg.de/contentblob/2994574/data/pdf-diversity-in-schools-englisch.pdf
