Violence and discrimination are rampant in Berlin schools. According to data from the “Violence and Conflict Barometer” published today, most teachers agree that violence and conflict are a major or very major problem in their schools. Two thirds agree that the scope of it has increased since the Covid pandemic, while only 4% see no problem in their schools. These figures, reported by Tagesspiegel, come from a survey of 14,000 students and 2,500 teachers. The sheer scope of bullying and spreading rumours and lies among
peers (something that affects every second ninth-grade student) is one finding of the study. Another is that teachers are responsible for much of the discrimination; notably, around 76% of reported cases of anti-Muslim discrimination show pedagogues as perpetrators. Exclusive data obtained by Berliner Morgenpost points to anti-Muslim sentiment reportedly being the biggest problem in Berlin schools, with the paper citing instances where teachers “even physically prevented students from praying” and “always mistook them for Palestinian terrorists”. Following anti-Muslim cases, instances of anti-Black racism and discrimination
based on gender were in second and third places respectively. “This isn’t about isolated incidents, but rather about structural and institutionally entrenched patterns,” says Sabine Gauch, social scientist for the Anti-Discrimination Office at Schools (ADAS). However, she stresses that many incidents go unreported, as students feel that reporting them doesn’t change anything – or even makes things worse. As such, only 6% of cases reported to ADAS come directly from the students themselves; pupils’ parents report almost two thirds of all instances. However, many are
not reported by anyone; “Anti-Roma incidents […] are generally hardly ever reported”, while cases of antisemitism tend not to reach ADAS due to another organisation, OFEK, specialising in their handling.
Berlin schools, racism, anti-Muslim discrimination, bullying, violence and conflict barometer, ADAS, OFEK, anti-Black racism, antisemitism, anti-Roma incidents, gender discrimination, students, teachers