Unwanted Justice: A brilliant polemic against educational privilege
About the book "The privilege of education. Why equality is not wanted" by Bruno Preisendörfer
Even in the recent election campaigns, there were plenty of warnings about the comprehensive school. In Lower Saxony, parents and teachers found an alliance for action "Multitrack school system" together. Younger members of the teachers' association, which represents the interests of high school teacher, spoke of a "direction of choice" and stoked fears of the "forced unity school where all students (affectionately philologists!) - Other than in schools today - regardless should learn from their performance together. " Hesse A citizens' initiative wants to "represent the interests of parents who do not want to subject to the dictates of ideological egalitarianism.
You hear it and nods, without long thinking: all roads lead to the comprehensive school is well known to Moscow. Who against the early selection of Child is experiencing, but from extraneous, ideological motives, in addition, is an enemy of performance. Those who value freedom and justice, "freedom of choice of parents" and a "gifted just" structured school system, must not fall of the advocates of comprehensive schools in the arm?
comes Fortunately, this week launched a diatribe in the book stores, with the self-righteous ideology of ideology outdoor settles ironically, knowledgeable and furious ". The privilege of education Why opportunity is not wanted" by Bruno Preisendörfer (Eichborn Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 2008 192nd pages, € 16.95).
The facts are known and can hardly be disputed: The educational researcher Jürgen Baumert noted in December 2001: "The chances of a workers' children to attend school instead of the real a high school, are four times lower than that of a child from the upper class." Quadruple were said Jochen Schweitzer, representing the Standing Conference in the PISA bodies, students convicted of lower social classes: first, by their origin, then by the "unfair selection at the end of primary school, then by the poor conditions in the secondary schools and then - for life, you can add - "with the slightest chance in the labor market." The
poor, poor interns
The public suffers in educational matters from significant distortions of perception. What we have not lamented the dismal fate of the suddenly favored academics, as the "generation" occurred. But complete, a study by the Higher Education Information System, according to only eight percent of college and seven percent of university graduates after graduation for an internship. And even these were quickly work: Nine months after the end of the first internship, four percent of trainees were without a university degree place. "This is unfortunate," said Price villages, "but a disaster that is a whole generation of academic sidelines, you can not call it."
that the concerns of these small, nevertheless privileged group aroused so much sympathy, has more than accidental causes. You are flesh of the flesh of those who enter the country the sound of journalists, politicians, panel discussion participants. The "unreached", however, are a rather quiet group. When we talk about them, usually in the form of distorted images that can be summarized like this: relive "Instead of the disciplined hedonism of the middle class, they sit, bankrolled with state dough, all day long in the jogging suit on the couch and become obese when underclass television, train while their brats with shooters the rampage in which they kill our hard-working and well-behaved children. " The majority certainly does not live according to these radical stereotypes, but in an ordinariness that is rarely described, because it seems so dramatic, is is difficult to scandalize. It's about the children of the "normal" family - he train drivers, they cashier.
speaks in their name, and writes prize villages. The Berlin writer knows whereof he speaks. Born in 1957 as a Catholic working-class child in the country, he has traveled the path from the distance education itself. He is silent - against the tradition of rhetoric - a key site of education is not: their uprooting. A child from non-academic financial sacrifices when it is preparing to climb the summit of education, its future alienated from the origin, with each step of the family, from his milieu. A child of academics, however remains in the familiar environment. Much of what we call talent proves, on closer inspection, as an effect of familiarity advance.
The Crab Bucket effect
Preisendörfer cleverly reflects his own course of education in the long debate about the German school system. So sharply denouncing the discrimination against lower-class children, so he remains faithful to the idea of good civic education. She has been in recent years hardly glorified intimate than here, with its promise of advancement, freedom, self-determination. Avoided the proletkultartige short circuit, we must expose the canon of truth, goodness and beauty as an instrument and smash. But it is a betrayal of the idea of education if schools reduce discrimination not only do not aggravate and bring in the first place. Responsible for One is the simple material interests of the management elites to protect their children from competition. Only when it is opportune, the market seems to demand it, they speak of "opening up the reserves of talent."
Preisendörfer calls these phrases with law "klassistisch" - by analogy with "sexist". Who said you had to open up the "independence reserves" of young women who would Finally, as stupid or malicious apply. As sharply here on the other "self-blocking" attacked the lower layers: the "crab bucket" effect: "Any crab that climbs to the inner wall of the bucket up, and this happens constantly, is from the others immediately brought back again." It takes already training to overcome the formation blockade.
It takes for this pamphlet, that it recognizes the moral dilemma of middle-class parents as a substantive. Of course, these look the best schools for their children, lest they have to deliver on their backs the weaknesses of the system. She discovered her love not so rare for levelness. Are in high demand (private) institutions of true equality, which are all children from an environment.
is a scandal that the state protects the privileges and reinforced by the parents about money that is paid depends on net income. About the defense of the structured school system. Preisendörfer spares the reader a series of measures to happiness. He hopes for an educational movement modeled on the women's movement, that prototype case of self-liberation. Some last a few more Euros in the account already old unemployed for a leftward shift. Anyone who reads this important book will remember with nostalgia in mind that - what is required here - one social democratic Program was, at that time, when the SPD was still the largest party in Europe.
Author: Learning JENS BISKY
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