Learning to love the German army
Decades of peacenik education in Germany have been thrown into reverse gear by the announcement of a competition for German schoolchildren to write about the role of the German army. The national daily Die Welt announces the competition on its web site, adorned with a large iron cross.
Schoolchildren are invited to submit essays on the new German army, which, it says, has taken on a raft of new tasks like ,,peace-keeping"and ,,crisis management". In co-operation with the ,,Federal Office for Political Education"and the Defence Ministry, the newspaper is encouraging young children to do their own research and come up with their ideas for the army of the future. The best four essays will be published by the newspaper; the top three winners will be invited for a ,,journalist journey"to Berlin, where they will visit the Reichstag, the Defence Ministry and the offices of Die Welt. Some will be offered internships in Die Welt, others in the official army magazine.
Source:
European Foundation Intelligence Digest Issue No.154; 7th November 2002