German Minister of Education Bettina Stark-Watzinger has stated that students in Germany must be better prepared to face all kinds of potential crises and disasters, including war.
A member of the business-focused Free Democratic Party (FDP), she stressed the importance of civil defense.
Stark-Watzinger said that schools should address civil defense and stressed that the goal must be to “strengthen our resilience”.
“Society as a whole must be well prepared for crises — ranging from a pandemic, to natural disasters, to war,” she said.
Stark-Watzinger referred to civil defense exercises carried out in schools in other countries, such as the United Kingdom (UK), saying that Germany could also learn to do the same.
The Minister also called for the development of a “relaxed” relationship between students and the armed forces. She suggested that military personnel visit schools to explain what the “Bundeswehr does for our security”.
She emphasized that she cannot understand resistance to such practices.
Stark-Watzinger also called for young people in Germany to become acquainted with threats to freedom, in order to better equip themselves to deal with such dangers. This should not be a separate school subject but part of the curriculum, Klix.ba reports.
