Children must be ready for battle to ‘strengthen resilience’, says the German minister

Children must be prepared for the struggle to increase ‘resilience’, says the German education minister, as tensions with Russia continue to rise.

Bettina Stark-Watzinger, 55, said she would also like to see schools introduce “civil defense” drills so children are ready for the years ahead.

“Society as a whole must prepare well for crises, from a pandemic to natural disasters and war,” she said. Funke Media Group.

‘Civil defense is extremely important and also belongs in schools. The aim should be to strengthen our resilience.’

The 55-year-old German minister expressed her wish that members of the German military – also known as Bundeswehr – would work more closely with communities.

The 55-year-old minister wants members of the German military (photo) to work more closely with the community so that children can become familiar with it

She believes this would make children in the country more comfortable with military officials.

“I think it is important that youth officers come to schools and report what the Bundeswehr is doing for our safety,” she added.

Some German education officials also agree with the minister’s most recent position.

The president of the German Teachers’ Association, Stefan Düll, said her ideas were “logical.”

“I expect that the federal minister will now seek talks with the education ministers in the states,” he told the German news channel. Image.

‘A declaration of intent is not enough; political lessons must now be learned about the war in Ukraine and the pan-European, even global, threat situation.”

Stark-Watzinger’s comments come shortly after the German government declared that they wanted to make their nation “kriegstuchig,” which means “war-ready” in English.

The statement comes at a time when the relationship between NATO and Russia is increasingly strained, with senior German defense officials predicting that conflict could spill over to other borders of the continent in the coming years. Telegraph reports.

The education minister’s statements represent a change in attitude from Germany, which for years has shied away from being a security power in Europe.

The politician also hopes that schools will introduce ‘civil defense’ exercises so that children can be prepared for the years ahead

The president of the German Teachers’ Association, Stefan Düll, agrees with the minister’s recent comments, but says the intention is ‘not enough’ (photo: Bundeswhere members during a NATO exercise in 2024)

But after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, their position on international relations has since changed.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called the war in Ukraine a ‘zeitenwende’, which marked a turning point for his country.

In doing so, he also promised record amounts of money to Ukraine – but his support only went so far.

Some have criticized the chancellor’s initial reluctance to send tanks to the war-torn country.

More recently, an extraordinary row erupted after Mr Scholz declared he would not hand over long-range Taurus missiles to Kiev because that would require assisting German forces on the ground.

He argued that following Britain and France would make his country a “participant in the war.”

The Tories called the comments ‘dangerous’, ‘irresponsible’ and a ‘slap in the face’ for NATO allies. He was also accused of giving Vladimir Putin an excuse for “escalation.”

Underscoring the risks of Scholz’s words, Putin today used an annual speech to claim that NATO and the West are “preparing to attack Russian territory” and warned that he is prepared to retaliate with nuclear weapons.