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02/01/2023 | Porträts und Geschichten

The University of Kassel is also a place for educational climbers. One of them is Umut Kaban

For ten-year-old Umut, it was clear where his educational path would end: at the Hauptschule. "All my elementary school friends switched to the Hauptschule branch," he recalls a quarter of a century later. "So I went along." Today, Umut Kaban (34) is a studied urban planner and neighborhood manager in the district where he grew up, Kassel's Nordstadt.

The photo shows Umut KabanImage: University of Kassel
Umut Kaban (Photo: University of Kassel)

One of Umut Kaban's concerns: He advises families on how their children can get through school as successfully as possible. Because, he says, "Many more young people from neighborhoods like this could make it to college."

But there are hurdles. Many children live in an environment that doesn't exactly smooth their path to universities: their parents' homes can't teach them German, or they lack role models, relatives who have studied. "Only 27 percent of students from a non-academic household later go on to study. For children of academics, the figure is 79 percent," noted the Stifterverband's Education Report 2020.

Those who do make it, often do not enter higher education with a traditional high school diploma. At the University of Kassel, one in four students has a technical college entrance qualification, a subject-related university entrance qualification or a vocational qualification. This is by far the highest rate in Hesse and also one of the highest rates in Germany. One reason for this is that there is no state university of applied sciences in northern Hesse, traditionally the place of education for graduates with a technical baccalaureate. Another is the many technical and teaching degree programs, which are in high demand among those with educational qualifications.

"Basically, everyone should be able to fully develop his or her potential, whether that means training or studying, whether it's a technical subject or the humanities," postulates Prof. Dr. Ute Clement, president of the University of Kassel. "As a society, we have to make that possible. At the University of Kassel, we do our part to open up successful educational careers."

But that starts early. Kaban was fortunate to meet a principal who recognized his potential, supported him, but also demanded a lot from him. He switched from the Hauptschule to the Realschule branch, from there to the Gymnasium branch, and finally took the Fachabitur at the Goethe School, studied urban planning at the University of Kassel and says in retrospect: "The studies turned the tide in my life." 

Kaban continues to have close ties to "his" Nordstadt. Last year, he worked for a project that helps men and women from the neighborhood enter the workforce. He recently became a neighborhood manager in Nordstadt. As an educational consultant, he helps families create better learning conditions for their children on the side. Sometimes that means reserving the living room in cramped apartments for homework at certain times. Sometimes it means accompanying parents with poor German skills to parent-teacher conferences. Above all, however, one thing is important: "The boys and girls need role models. Many don't dare to do anything. Only when they know someone in their environment who has gone all the way through their education do they think about studying or training."

Umut Kaban is happy about anyone who, despite difficult starting conditions, manages to successfully complete school, get a good apprenticeship - or go on to university. In the long term, this could make an "invisible border" more permeable. The university's central campus is located in the northern part of the city, and the university now radiates out into the surrounding area. But for many students in the neighborhood, the university is still a foreign world.

By the way, anyone who is about to take their Abitur or Fachabitur, or who already has it in the bag, will find contact persons at the University of Kassel to talk about the right course of study and the appropriate support. One of them is Oliver Claves from the General Student Advisory Service. "We also and especially help young people without an academic family background or with atypical educational paths individually," he promises.

Text and photo: Sebastian Mense
This text is part of the 2023/1 issue of publik, publication date February 13.