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President of the Düll Teachers’ Association: Interdisciplinary “Democracy and Peace Education”

Photo: Andreas Gebert

Federal Education Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger's call to increase the focus on the war in lessons has met with approval from the German Teachers' Association.

“The war in Ukraine is creating a new awareness of military threats, which must also be conveyed in schools,” said association president Stefan Düll to “Bild am Sonntag”.

He expects the Federal Minister to seek discussions with the states.

"A declaration of intent is not enough; politics lessons now have to teach about the war in Ukraine and the pan-European, even global, threat situation."

Youth officers are a “useful support”.

According to Düll, lessons on “democracy and peace education” can take place across disciplines, in elective lessons and projects.

Stark-Watzinger had told the Funke newspapers: “Civil protection is immensely important, it also belongs in schools.

The goal must be to strengthen our resilience."

She spoke out in favor of civil defense exercises in schools and called on them to develop a “relaxed relationship with the Bundeswehr”.

Several education politicians criticized the move.

“We have to get our children ready for school and not ready for war,” said the education policy spokesman for the Union parliamentary group, Thomas Jarzombek (CDU), to “Bild”.

"One in four children does not learn to read and write properly in primary school - we have to address that." The Schleswig-Holstein Education Minister Karin Prien (CDU) said: "It doesn't help to scare the population and especially children and young people."

Individual statements “irritate”

The Green Party politician Kai Gehring, chairman of the Education Committee in the Bundestag, told the newspaper that although the turning point raises many new questions, "some far-reaching statements made by the Education Minister are still irritating."

In view of the “Pisa misery”, she should rather tackle “the central challenges for our education system”.

The chairwoman of the Conference of Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs, Christine Streichert-Clivot (SPD), advocated comprehensive preparation of students for possible crises.

Contacts could be made at schools with organizations that play an important role in civil defense, such as the technical relief organization, fire departments and rescue services.

jpz/dpa/AFP