Peace in the curriculum!

Why we are submitting a petition to the Conference of Education Ministers

The reintroduction of voluntary military service in December last year was the straw that broke the camel's back for many young people. Thousands of them took to the streets across Germany to protest against a political decision that was made over their heads, even though it directly affects their future. Many are not only concerned about military service, but also about the future we are heading for in the face of wars and massive rearmament.

We are calling for more peace education in schools - so that young people can deal with these issues in a differentiated way and actively help shape a peaceful future. According to a survey commissioned by Greenpeace, 74% of 16 to 25-year-olds would like to be more involved in the political debate on compulsory military service. There is a growing awareness among young people that issues of war and peace directly affect their lives and future prospects. However, they do not feel that they are taken seriously or that they really have a say. The current trend study 'Youth in Germany' states that young people feel powerless and left alone in dealing with wars and other crises. There is a lack of discussion and participation in finding solutions that could give young people confidence again. This is exactly where peace education in schools comes in: by showing alternatives to war and violence. More peace education therefore also means more diversity of perspectives in a social debate that is currently focused primarily on military security.

So far, one actor has dominated political education on the subject of war and peace in schools: the Bundeswehr with its youth officers. According to the Ministry of Defense, there were 94 youth officers in 2024. They gave 3,400 talks at schools, reaching more than 88,000 pupils.

There are also civil society organizations such as Pro Peace that provide peace education speakers at schools. In Baden-Württemberg and Lower Saxony, service and coordination centers for peace education have been set up in recent years. These centers not only train peace education specialists, but also develop handouts for the classroom and offer further training for teachers. However, these lighthouse projects not only fall short of the Bundeswehr's program in terms of budget and scope, they are also far from being able to meet the rapidly growing demand for them from schools. And this was the case long before the debate about military service. The wars in Ukraine and the Middle East have long been reflected in everyday school life, and teachers are challenged to find a constructive way of dealing with them.

There is therefore an urgent need for political impetus to strengthen peace education in schools nationwide. It is well known that education policy in Germany is a matter for the federal states. However, there is a joint body: the Conference of Education Ministers. Its resolutions are highly binding. In recent years, for example, this body has developed joint frameworks to strengthen democracy education and education for sustainable development in all federal states. However, there has not yet been a corresponding resolution for peace education. This is exactly what we want to change with a petition to the conference.