Education Senator on Islamism at Berlin's Carl Bolle School: "There is no system failure"
Katharina Günther-Wünsch has long remained silent about a gay teacher's report of bullying at the elementary school in Moabit. Now she says it's all "extremely complex."
There's quite a stir this Thursday afternoon outside the Bernhard Letterhaus Hall in the Berlin House of Representatives. The Education Committee is meeting, camera crews are waiting outside, and reporters are holding microphones under the noses of the members of parliament: "What do you say about the incidents at the Carl Bolle School ? How do you feel about the senator's silence?" A woman from the SPD feels so harassed that she calls for security.
Berlin is experiencing another school scandal. The accusations from teachers are reminiscent of the inflammatory letter written in 2006 at the Rütli School in Neukölln and the cries for help from teachers last year at the Friedrich Bergius School in Friedenau. Now the focus is on the Carl Bolle School, an elementary school in Moabit.
On May 19, the Süddeutsche Zeitung reported on Oziel Inácio-Stech , a teacher who was subjected to massive hostility by Muslim students. They called him "unclean," "disgusting," and "not a man" after he revealed his marriage to a man. One student reportedly said, "You faggot, get out of here. Islam is the boss here." An employee from Israel left the school because Muslim children boycotted his work because of his Jewishness.
According to the report, Inácio-Stech received no support from the school administration, the school supervisory authority, or the education administration. On the contrary, the school administration reported him for breach of duty of care.
The case caused a nationwide stir. A few days ago, the Süddeutsche Zeitung interviewed other teachers . Since 2018, there have been regular incidents of violence, anti-Semitism, and discrimination, especially by students of Muslim background, the newspaper reported. Female teachers are frequently treated with disrespect. The school administration was informed. "But nothing was done about it," a former teacher is quoted as saying. "This is a complete systemic failure of the Berlin authorities."
The Education Senator initially did not comment publicly on the reports, despite the nationwide outcry and numerous media inquiries. On Thursday, during the "current quarter of an hour" in the committee, Günther-Wünsch will now have to answer the questions.
Günther-Wünsch stated at the outset that she had deliberately held back at first so as "not to assert false facts out of ignorance." She then read extensively from the files "to provide information about the timeline." According to the statement, Inácio-Stech's lawyer submitted a request for information to the school administration in July 2024, which was forwarded to the school supervisory authority. In September, a complaint under the Equal Opportunities Act followed, filed by the teacher's lawyer with the Senate's Complaints Office. The results of the review were communicated to Inacio-Stech on January 14, 2025: There was no discrimination based on gender or sexual orientation.
Günther-Wünsch looks up and says: "There is a clear discrepancy between the files I have before me and the allegations made in the media." Inácio-Stech's accusation of homophobic discrimination by the student body was not a central point in his lawyer's letters. She calls it "essential." The legal actions taken by Inácio-Stech and his lawyer were based on different legal grounds, each of which was the responsibility of different authorities. All instances of the case had been addressed. She does not explain exactly what the senator means by this.
Günther-Wünsch: Carl-Bolle-Schule is an attractive locationThe case is more complex than it is publicly portrayed, she says. There can be no talk of "systemic failure," says Günther-Wünsch. Nor does she want to speak of a "massive complaint situation" at the school. Rather, the headmistress, who has been in office since 2021, has stabilized an "unstable" location, established partnerships, reorganized school social work, and restructured the building. There are now spaces for teamwork and intercultural learning, a digital bulletin board, and an interreligious team made up of Jewish, Christian, and Muslim representatives. The school even has a representative for conflicts with a Muslim religious background. It is an attractive location, she says, and five trainee teachers are currently being trained there. The headmistress will now be leaving the elementary school, but this has nothing to do with the case.
Even in response to questions from members of parliament, Günther-Wünsch stuck to her line: The case is "complex," and hasty conclusions are out of place. "That's why I'm doing something very extraordinary today," the senator said. She reminded the members of parliament of their right to inspect the files. "So that we can then have a well-founded discussion about what additional support the school should receive." She did not address the reports from other teachers, which date back to 2018 and should be known to the school inspectorate.
Then the "current quarter of an hour" is over. In the hallway, education politician Taylan Kurt from the Green Party is still willing to talk. His parliamentary group had been the most critical of the senator in recent days, urging that homophobia and anti-Semitism should have no place in Berlin schools. Moabit is Kurt's constituency; he knows the Carl Bolle School well, having been there "at least eight times," he says. He also speaks of a "difficult case," but does not want to go into further detail. He only says this much: There are "five to six students" at the school who "allegedly made homophobic comments and attempted to instrumentalize other students." But the vast majority at the school are not homophobic, says Kurt. He also does not want to speak of a systemic failure. He says it is wrong to tar all Muslim students with the same brush and thereby speak ill of the school, as is now happening in the press. "We urgently need strong and experienced new leadership that will support the school's long-term development." Antisemitism and homophobia should not have "a millimeter of room" at the school. It almost seems as if most people agree on the Carl Bolle School case: Yes, there are problems, perhaps a few Muslim students who go too far, so the narrative goes. These are isolated cases. That other teachers have also spoken out and reported abuses at the school that go beyond homophobia and antisemitism? Hardly anyone is willing to address that. The senator has announced a meeting with the school's parents' association in the coming days. She has also already spoken with the school administration, she said in the education committee. However, no meeting is apparently planned with the teacher primarily affected, Oziel Inácio-Stech.
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