Democracy is freedom. But what about schools?
#122
My Dear Friend of Democracy,
For the first time, 16-year-olds in Germany were able to vote in the 2024 European Parliament elections. Even though the AfD made gains in almost all age groups, its biggest success was among young people. 16 per cent of first-time voters voted for the far-right populist Alternative for Germany (AfD), tripling the party's share in this demographic and putting it on par with the centre-right alliance of the Christian Democratic Union and Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU).
I wondered why AfD is so successful among young people in Germany.
Maybe because of a school system that doesn't teach freedom.
Does that sound crazy to you?
Here's my little train of thought.
As we know, the core of democracy is human dignity. This means that every person should, as far as possible, shape their life according to their wishes and interests. Democracy is, therefore, characterized by freedom and responsibility.
The school system is different.
From the very beginning, there is little freedom and choice. Students are assigned to a school, and what and how they learn is predetermined. Even break and meal times are determined, and anyone who just wants to go to the toilet has to sign out.
So, the German school system has many "musts" and a few "decides." And it has been resistant to change for generations and has failed in essential parts to adapt to a life that focuses on young people becoming responsible. – My opinion.
Therefore, it is unsurprising that so many first-time voters voted for the AfD, the party that promises to take people's responsibility away by giving simple answers to not-so-simple questions.
✊ Democracy also makes promises, namely, the ability to live a life according to one's own wishes and interests. Of course, this has to apply to young people as well. To fulfil this promise, a much greater choice of learning methods and content offerings in school education is needed. Students may even need the freedom not to learn at all. How can one understand the joy of educational opportunities if one cannot choose them of one's own free will? Instead, our school system refuses freedom in life's most formative phase. No wonder that many young people do not vote for democracy. They simply have not experienced the joy of it yet. But they could. For this to happen, schools would have to become democratic.
See you in Europe,
Johannes