Hardly a day now passes without a new proposal to address the cultural and social problem of integrating migrants. On the left, people want to get rid of the Hauptschule, the bottom layer of a widespread selective secondary school system. On the right, there have been calls to punish youths whose behaviour shows they are not willing to integrate—by expelling them from school or even sending them to a “taster jail”. Chancellor Angela Merkel will soon convene an “integration summit” to air these and other ideas.

For outsiders, it is hard to understand the fuss. Compared with France and Denmark, Germany wouldn't appear to have much of a problem with its immigrants, particularly in view of their large numbers. The country's residents include 6.7m holders of foreign passports, making up 8% of the population. Then there are 7m German citizens classed as having a “migrant background”—this includes the children of mixed or immigrant parents and ethnic Germans who have come from eastern Europe (mostly knowing no German). Yet there are few slums comparable to France's banlieues;and during the “cartoon wars” in February, Germany was an island of relative calm.

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The integration summit, due to be held before the summer break, could mark another step forward. Yet to make a real difference, says Mr Bade, the meeting must generate some smart thinking on how to ensure equal opportunities for people with an immigrant background, particularly the young. Above all, he says, they need more teachers, smaller classes and schools that operate for longer hours.

https://www.economist.com/world/europe/displaystory.cfm?story_id=E1_GRPSTRN