Despite the administrative and linguistic obstacles that often prevent refugee teachers from integrating into the German education system, Syrian teacher Intisar Karkoukli managed to pave the way and return to the profession she loved.
A report by zdfheute indicated that Karkoukli arrived in Germany in 2015 with extensive experience in elementary school teaching. Although the employment office deemed her desire to return to the profession "unattainable," she did not give up on her dream.
Her success was further enhanced by a special program at the University of Potsdam, launched in 2016, aimed at quickly and easily integrating refugee teachers into the local school system.
It gave her the opportunity to retrain. She used to spend six hours a day commuting from her home in Wittenberg to the university, but she persevered until she graduated.
The program aims to quickly and easily integrate refugee teachers into the local school system.
The report added that after completing the program, Salma was hired as a substitute teacher at an elementary school, where she helped integrate refugee children and communicate with their parents. The school's principal, Christine Schultz, described her role as "a necessary bridge with parents."
Her journey wasn't without setbacks.
However, her career wasn't without setbacks. Her job funding ended after two years, and she was demoted to teaching assistant. She was required to improve her German with additional courses. Although many refugee teachers stopped at this point and dropped out of the education system, Karkoukli continued to fight with the support of colleagues and friends.
The next major milestone in Karkoukli's journey came in 2021 when she secured a formal position at the Wittenberg School, becoming the first Syrian teacher in its classrooms.
In the spring of 2025, she achieved a new milestone by being promoted to the position of "civil servant," which she considered "the culmination of years of struggle."
Karkoukli is now calling for practical steps to support refugee teachers, most importantly providing specialized language courses and facilitating easier entry into teaching, emphasizing that her experience proves that success is possible despite the difficult path.
According to data from the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees, of the 1-8 million refugees registered as asylum seekers in Germany in 2021, approximately 2-2% worked as teachers in their countries of origin. Given the acute teacher shortage, this means that 36,000 trained teachers could be available in schools in a short time. However, the path to teaching for migrant teachers remains fraught with obstacles.
Faris Al-Rifai - Zaman Al-Wasl
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