War in class, a difficult topic. School is a protected space, says Martin Löwe. Such topics must be dealt with in a child-friendly manner; it cannot be done “from above”. In this respect, they were one thing above all at the Bavarian Parents’ Association (BEV) on Monday: “very irritated,” as state chairman Löwe put it. In an interview, Federal Education Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger (FDP) had previously called for more civil defense exercises in schools – and spoke not only of disasters, but also of war. An advance, of course, but made “brutally”, that’s how Löwe felt. As if “the country should be brushed for war”.
Irritated: This perhaps best describes the emotional state of the Bavarian school family. Or friendliest, depending on how you look at it. “Society as a whole must prepare well for crises – from a pandemic to natural disasters to war,” Stark-Watzinger told the Funke media group last week. Civil protection is “immensely important” and also belongs in schools. “The goal must be to strengthen our resilience.” In Great Britain, disaster drills were part of everyday school life, “we can learn from that.” The minister also recommended that schools develop a “relaxed relationship with the Bundeswehr”. She thinks it is important “that youth officers come to schools and report on what the Bundeswehr is doing for our security.”
What exactly does this mean for schools? First of all, education is not a matter for the federal government, but for the states. And in the Free State, it’s not just the BEV who reacts skeptically to the initiative from Berlin. The Bavarian Teachers’ Association (BLLV), for example, is critical of the use of officers in schools. “Social challenges such as wars, pandemics and natural disasters are always the responsibility of schools,” says BLLV President Simone Fleischmann. This includes allaying children’s fears, explaining situations as best as possible and discussing them sensitively. “We have to address these issues with trained educators.” It is questionable whether officers could take over this. In general: “Developing a relaxed relationship with the Bundeswehr at this time” seems “rather difficult”.
Nevertheless, the initiative from Berlin is met with a debate in Bavaria. On the one hand, because the schools can hardly get past the large war complex. Children and young people finally notice what is happening in the world and how the feeling of security in this country has changed as a result of the Russian attack on Ukraine. There are students in many classes who have fled from there. They can report from their own experience what war means to them: violence, loss, fear and the uncertainty of what will happen next for them and their loved ones.
The Bundeswehr’s move should not violate the principle of ideological neutrality
On the other hand, the state government is already planning to make school attendance for youth officers more mandatory as part of a change in the law. In simple terms, these specially trained soldiers will in future take on political education tasks in class and, for example, explain what tasks the Bundeswehr has to do. This has nothing to do with recruiting; Bundeswehr career advisors are responsible for that. Nevertheless, not everyone in the school family likes it. The BEV welcomes “the basic aim of the law, the strengthening of the Bundeswehr”. But for this goal, “the principle of the ideological neutrality of Bavarian schools and the sovereignty of the teacher as a learning specialist should not be sacrificed,” says the association in a statement on the draft law. It is dated March 15th. A little later, Stark-Watzinger’s initiative made headlines.
Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) also classifies this as “completely exaggerated” because it insinuates “military training” and “war fitness” from students. You have to “choose your choice of words carefully,” said Söder after a CSU board meeting on Monday. It is “bizarre and absurd to want to teach our children about war.” However, Söder defended the change in the law planned for Bavaria. This is about the international crises and the presentation of the Bundeswehr’s performance – and about promoting the “ability to make decisions and make judgments” in young people, beyond “what goes around the internet as fake news.”
And what is being shared on the internet and being caught is something that experts are actually watching with concern. On social networks, conspiracy myths and propaganda are often just a smartphone swipe away. It’s not just children and young people who sometimes lose track of what is true and what is false, what is fact, what is opinion and what is manipulation. BEV boss Löwe therefore fundamentally advocates for more political education in schools: What is needed here is “more money”, “more manpower” and an interdisciplinary concept. “You have to start in your head.”