Overview

• Nele McElvany urges fixed, curriculum-anchored hours for German-as-a-second-language across primary and secondary grades, comparable to core subjects.
• She argues that students fare better when integrated directly into regular classes rather than placed in separate welcome classes.
• The proposal targets not only newly arrived children but also pupils with limited German from migrant backgrounds or challenging home environments.
• Implementing the change would require many more specialist teachers for German as a second or foreign language, especially in major urban regions such as the Ruhr area, Berlin and Munich.
• McElvany points to studies showing reading declines tied largely to pandemic disruptions and home-learning conditions, while warning that long pre-enrollment waits—averaging about seven months—undercut language acquisition.