SPD leader Steffen Krach stated that even if a Coalition government consisting of the Social Democrats, Greens, and the Left is formed, the Bundeswehr (German Armed Forces) could still be present in Berlin schools. He confirmed to the Tagesspiegel that schools would be able to make this decision independently, which was the case before the current cooperation agreement and which is practiced in many other federal states.
This discussion stems from an agreement contained within the joint investigative paper released by the Left, Green, and SPD parties. That agreement specifies: “We will terminate the cooperation agreement with the Bundeswehr.” The existing cooperation agreement was established in June of this year by the Senat’s education administration, led by the CDU, and outlines content and organizational standards for the participation of youth officers in teaching. Crucially, it also stipulated the “independence of schools in the decision regarding cooperation.”
This planned cancellation has already been criticized by SPD Defense Minister Boris Pistorius in the Tagesspiegel, who argued that discontinuing the agreement would lead to increased uncertainty among teachers about whether youth officers were still “politically desired” in schools.
However, Krach maintained that this lack of certainty would not occur even without the existing agreement. He pointed out that according to the investigative paper, schools are allowed to utilize “plural offers for democratic education.” Krach stressed that cooperation with the Bundeswehr has historically been one of these offers, and it will continue to be.
