German as a second language

The Eberhard Klein school in the down-market Kreuzberg district of Berlin has recently gained a certain degree of celebrity since the last four German pupils left it has become Germanys only state school with a 100 per cent immigrant student body.

The schools catchment area has a largely Turkish population but there are also Vietnamese, eastern European and Arab families whose children fill the classrooms of the Eberhard Klein.

Having more than 20 per cent of non-German speakers in a class makes acquisition of German language skills less likely, according to some experts, and the schools principal has been discouraging German parents from sending their children to his multi-ethnic school. However, on the positive side, he sees Berlin being enriched by this cultural diversity. The lively Kreuzberg neighbourhood is well-known for its plethora of cheap ethnic restaurants and clubs, making it a favoured spot among German university students.