German schoolchildren should be prepared for war to “strengthen our resilience”, the country’s education minister has said as tensions with Russia continue to soar.

Bettina Stark-Watzinger also suggested that “civil defence” exercises, without giving further details, should be held in schools as part of efforts to help youngsters cope in the years to come.

“Society as a whole must prepare well for crises, from a pandemic to natural disasters to war...civil defence is immensely important, it also belongs in schools. The goal must be to strengthen our resilience,” said Ms Stark-Watzinger in an interview with the Funke media group.

Her remarks came as the German government seeks to make the country “kriegstüchtig”, or “war ready”, in the face of a potential Russia-Nato conflict, which could arrive on Europe’s borders within a few years according to senior German defence officials.

In the same interview, Ms Stark-Watzinger, 55, said she also wanted to see more outreach work from members of the Bundeswehr, the German army, to make children feel more familiar with the armed forces.

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

Her comments reflect a shift in Germany, which for decades has been reluctant to be a security power in Europe, a position that it changed after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Olaf Scholz, the German chancellor, said the invasion marked a “zeitenwende”, or turning of the times, in Germany, prompting him to pledge record sums of financial support to Ukraine.

His critics point to his initial reluctance to send Ukraine tanks, and his strong refusal to provide the powerful Taurus missile system, as a sign that there are hard limits to that vision.

‘Global threat’ 

Stefan Düll, the president of the German Teachers’ Association, said Ms Stark-Watzinger’s proposal “makes sense”. He told German tabloid Bild:  “I expect the federal minister to now seek discussions with the education ministers in the federal states.”

“A declaration of intent is not enough; politics lessons now have to teach about the war in Ukraine and the pan-European, even global threat situation,” he added.