Partner organizations involved in the “Alliance Education for a Democratic Society” have strongly criticized the planned restructuring of the “Living Democracy” funding program by Federal Minister of Education, Karin Prien (CDU). These civil society groups issued a joint statement arguing that the expertise accumulated over many years will not be recognized without a proper evaluation framework, which, they warn, will thereby weaken democratic education.
During the statement, Lena Kahle, the managing director of the German Society for Democratic Pedagogy, stated, “Course changes implemented without waiting for the results of the ongoing scientific evaluation are not comprehensible”. She emphasized that the professional expertise of the program providers must be included when developing new funding guidelines, rather than being prematurely dismissed. According to Kahle, “Education for democracy must be developed transparently and in partnership with civil society”.
Jasmine Gebhard, the managing director of the “Makista – Education for Children’s Rights and Democracy” association, added that democracy education programs “need to be planned in the long term in order to be sustainable and reliable”. She cautioned that the abrupt strategic change not only undermines expertise accessible to groups with structural limitations but also erodes trust in state institutions when programs suddenly cease in daycare centers, schools, and local communities. Gebhard concluded by noting, “This moves against efforts to strengthen social cohesion, promote identification with democracy, and prevent right-wing extremism, antisemitism, and Islamism”. She added that the distrust being shown towards those who are committed to a strong democracy casts a shadow not only on democracy as a way of life but also on its underlying values.