German Integration Course Funding Cuts Threaten Migrant Language Programs

The German Interior Ministry, led by Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU), plans to drastically reduce funding for integration courses. The cuts would limit language training for Ukrainian refugees, EU citizens, asylum seekers and tolerated migrants, making it harder for many to obtain German lessons.

Eter Hachmann, chair of DaMOst – the umbrella association for migrant organisations in East Germany – and René Nohr, director of the Volkshochschule Bingen am Rhein, warned that the reductions could shrink course offerings from 24 classes two years ago to just eight this year. The shortage may leave classes insufficiently filled, especially in rural areas with limited transport, and undermine efforts to integrate newcomers into the German labour market.