Promoting Equal Rights and Opportunities
In a bid to improve educational opportunities for children in socially disadvantaged areas, the Startchancen program - Germany's largest and longest-running educational initiative - is providing much-needed support to schools in Oberhausen, North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW).
The program, a joint project between the federal government and NRW, is running over ten years with a total funding of €4.6 billion, split equally between federal and NRW state resources. In Oberhausen, eight schools are set to benefit from August, including Osterfeld Comprehensive School, Anne Frank Realschule, Adolf Feld, Astrid Lindgren, Concordia, Erich Kästner, and Falkenstein Elementary Schools.
The selection criterion for the Startchancen program is the school social index, which considers the proportion of students with a migration background and the risk of poverty in the neighbourhood. This ensures that schools with greater socioeconomic challenges receive the most support.
Stefan Zimkeit, a member of the state parliament for Oberhausen-Sterkrade and Dinslaken, has expressed his support for the program, stating that it is right to support schools more in need than wealthier schools. He also emphasised that education is a matter for the state, and that the federal government has achieved something that the state government was unable to do with the Startchancen program.
However, Zimkeit has expressed concern that the NRW finance minister is not willing to implement the state's contribution to the program in a way that the money actually reaches the schools. He fears that the situation at the schools has become more exacerbated after the pandemic, and that the children's education should not be dependent on the wealth of their parents.
The Startchancen program aims to decouple school success from the social background of the children. It has three pillars: improving school equipment, funding multiprofessional teams, and providing an individual chance budget for specific school needs. The program's ultimate goal is to ensure that every child has an equal chance to succeed, regardless of their socioeconomic background.
For more detailed procedural information or contact persons, NRW’s Regional Development Agency for Educational Management (REAB NRW) provides support and networking for schools within this framework.
[1] Startchancen Programme [2] NRW Ministry of Culture and Science [3] Federal Ministry of Education and Research [4] REAB NRW
- Engaging in personal growth and learning, individuals can take advantage of the resources provided by the Startchancen Programme, a comprehensive endeavor focused on education-and-self-development, particularly in socially disadvantaged areas.
- Recognizing the significant role of education in promoting personal growth, Stefan Zimkeit, a member of the state parliament, has advocated for equal learning opportunities for every child, addressing the concerns raised in the Startchancen Programme's mission to decouple school success from the socioeconomic background of children.
