“We are not at war, but…” Minister proposes including training for crisis situations in the curriculum, at a time of tension with Russia. Critics warn of scaremongering that could prove harmful to students.
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt wants training for crisis, catastrophe and war situations to become part of the school curriculum. The proposal comes at a time when, faced with a perceived growing threat from Russia, tension is increasing in German society around a possible war scenario.
In practice, the suggestion from the minister, a member of the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU), would involve students learning skills such as using a fire extinguisher, providing assistance to an injured colleague or even performing resuscitation.
“My proposal is that, once a school year, an extended class will be held with older students, covering various possible threat scenarios and how to prepare for them,” Dobrindt told the Handelsblatt newspaper.
Just recently, German Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated that “we are not at war, but we are also no longer at peace”, when referring to Russia.
Good reception in schools…
Many experts believe that Russia, under the leadership of President Vladimir Putin, will attack North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) territory before the end of the decade.
Germany has shown that it intends to prepare its military and civil defense resources since the beginning of the war in Ukraine.
The proposal for inclusion in the school curriculum was well received by the influential German Teachers’ Association (DL, in its German acronym), which represents 165 thousand school teachers.
“War has long since reached classroomsand it is necessary to be honest and simply say so,” the association’s president, Stefan Düll, told DW. “Young people ultimately have the right to openly discuss what may affect them.”
For Quentin Gärtner, general secretary of the Federal Student Council (BSK, its acronym in German), which represents the interests of students, the training would be useful, but must be accompanied by psychologists and social workers.
“People feel safer if they are prepared for an emergency and know what will happen,” he said, highlighting that a “resilient society” would be particularly important in a war scenario.
…poor reception in Parliament
Among opposition parties, reactions were mixed.
“The clear objective is incite fear“, said Nicole Gohlke, leader of the Left party in Parliament, to the AFP agency. “I consider this alarmism, especially in relation to children and young people, unacceptable.”
At the other end of the political spectrum, a spokesman for the Alternative for Germany (AfD), a far-right populist party that often adopts pro-Russia positions, said the interior minister makes “the approach of war seem inevitable.”
The idea, however, had the support of the Green Party. The party’s co-leader, Felix Banaszak, disagreed, in an interview with broadcaster RTL, that there is alarmism in the proposal. He added that he is not convinced that a single extended class per year is sufficient.
It is only the Federal Government’s responsibility to issue recommendations on the content taught in schools. Only the Ministries of Education in each federal state have the authority to decide on the curriculum.
Where is the limit of precaution?
The German Government wants to significantly increase investments in civil protection and disaster prevention. Around 10 billion euros were allocated until 2029 for a “civil protection pact”, which includes the modernization of shelters, warning systems, water reserves and emergency vehicles.
In the interview with Handelsblatt, Dobrindt also urged the population to . “It doesn’t cost anything. Having a few days’ worth of supplies, a flashlight, batteries or a battery-powered radio are reasonable precautions. Those who have these are not panicking, they are prepared.”
A Polandwhich also borders Germany and Ukraine, has mandatory training on weapons use and safety for young people aged 14 and 15. No live ammunition is used, but students learn to assemble, load and unload a firearm. Shooting training is done with lasers or blank ammunition.
“Life is scary these days, so you have to be prepared for anything,” Marta Stolinska from the Nicolaus Copernicus primary school in Skarszewy, near Gdansk, told DW in 2024. Several parents and teachers support weapons training.
The approach, however, is viewed with skepticism by German society. “German school playgrounds are not graduation squares in barracks,” Düll, from the teachers’ association, told DW. Learning to shoot is “not the students’ job, but the Army’s,” he added.
