Advance from the Minister of Education
Preparing students for war? “Our children must become healthier, more resilient and braver”
Experts are calling for new subjects to prepare children for war
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Should schools prepare our children for war? The corresponding initiative by Education Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger has sparked a debate that goes far beyond a new school subject.
The demand of the Federal Minister of Education Bettina Stark-Watzinger’s idea of communicating security risks in schools 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”.
“I expect the Federal Minister to now seek discussions with the education ministers in the federal 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.”
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Stark-Watzinger had said that society as a whole must prepare well for crises – from a pandemic to natural disasters to war. “Civil protection is immensely important; it also belongs in schools. The aim must be to strengthen our resilience,” the FDP politician told the newspapers of the Funke media group. She spoke out in favor of civil defense exercises in schools and called on them to develop a “relaxed relationship with the Bundeswehr”.
War in class? Don’t scare young people
Several education politicians criticized the move. “We have to make 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 am Sonntag”. “One in four children does not learn to read and write properly in primary school – we have to address that.” Schleswig-Holstein’s Education Minister Karin Prien (CDU) said on Saturday: “It doesn’t help to scare the population and especially children and young people.”
The Green politician Kai Gehring, chairman of the education committee in the Bundestag, told the newspaper: “The turning point raises many new peace and security policy questions, but individual far-reaching statements by the education minister are still irritating. In view of the Pisa misery, she should focus primarily on “It’s our job to courageously tackle the central challenges facing our education system.”
More resilient children through new school subjects?
The chairwoman of the Conference of Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs, Christine Streichert-Clivot (SPD), advocated comprehensive preparation of students for possible crises. “Pandemics, wars, natural disasters, climate change, profound changes in society and the economy: children and young people must be prepared more broadly for the future,” said the Saarland Education Minister to the newspapers of the Funke media group.
“They have to become healthier, more resilient, braver and more self-confident and so flexible that they can actively shape changes. Schools can make an important contribution to this, especially in the area of full-time.” Contacts could also be made here with the organizations that play an important role in civil protection, such as the technical relief organization, the fire departments and the rescue services.