Brandenburg’s Ministry of Education and the Bundeswehr have signed a cooperation agreement on political education in schools. Youth officers can now be invited as external speakers to discuss German foreign and security policy, global crisis management, and national and European security interests. The invitation must come from the school, and the content must stay within the existing curriculum.
Education Minister Gordon Hoffmann (CDU) said the cooperation strengthens students’ judgment and provides insights into state responsibility. The youth officers are bound by the principles of the Beutelsbach Consensus, especially the prohibition against indoctrination. Colonel Nikolas Scholtka, commander of the Brandenburg State Command, stressed the importance of examining security policy developments from different perspectives.
Criticism comes from the BSW parliamentary group. Education policy spokesperson Falk Peschel called the agreement “institutionalized advertising for war in our classrooms” and demanded its immediate suspension. However, the decision to invite youth officers remains with individual schools.
Source: www.tagesspiegel.de
