The German School System

Education and Training in Germany: Melting-pot, Salad Bowl or Leitkultur?

In various countries several cultures are forced to be on good terms with each other due to immigration. Considering this situation intently, one can perceive three meanwhile well-known approaches: the intercultural melting-pot, the multicultural salad bowl and the monocultural Leitkultur. These interpretations of a society are applicable to almost every country, city and institution where cultures combine. In the German education system one can distinguish a certain way of dealing with the culture clash, too. The question is, whether it is a melting-pot, a salad bowl or a Leitkultur.

In the melting-pot approach there is made no distinction between the individual cultures and thus a new social culture emerges. This phenomenon with regard to the German school system can mainly be found in big cities in areas with a lower social level. In many schools in such areas, immigrants and Germans adopt a certain behavior, slang and clothing style, which is neither German nor typical of the cultures of the immigrants. Thus they distance themselves from society and form a new small culture of their own.

The salad bowl approach, unlike the intercultural one, has its focus on the individuality of the different, coexisting cultures. A multicultural aspect in the German education system is that, for example every culture is appreciated and can be lived out. Immigrant students are free to wear their traditional clothes and it is accepted that swimming and religion lessons are not obligatory for immigrant students when parts of those lessons contravene their religion. The different cultures, customs and traditions are made a subject of discussion especially in early-age educational institutions.

Finally, the Leitkultur assumes that immigrants become loyal citizens and adopt the culture of their new homeland.