A significant majority of economics teachers in Germany believe that entrepreneurial skills and business acumen should be more prominently featured in the national curriculum, according to a new study commissioned by the Foundation for Family Businesses. The research, published by Funke-Mediengruppe newspapers, highlights a growing consensus that a greater emphasis on business education is vital for cultivating a generation of innovators and entrepreneurs.
The study, conducted by researchers from the Institute for Economic Education at the University of Oldenburg, surveyed 577 economics teachers and found that nearly 85% believe knowledge of businesses and entrepreneurship is an essential component of a well-rounded education. A substantial 45% advocate for making the development of entrepreneurial abilities a compulsory element of schooling. While 72% of teachers report some familiarity with the subject of entrepreneurship, having experimented with it in their classrooms, only around 50% have actually imparted knowledge about business start-ups to their students. Practical experience with student-run businesses – where youth develop products or offer services – remains comparatively limited, enjoyed by just 41% of teachers.
Rainer Kirchdörfer, board member of the Foundation for Family Businesses, voiced strong criticism of the current state of affairs. “Germany’s chronically low rate of business creation isn’t surprising when young people receive so little entrepreneurial instruction in schools and are discouraged from pursuing self-employment” he stated. He called on policymakers and institutions to actively create opportunities for integrating economic knowledge and entrepreneurial skills into the maturation process.
While acknowledging that foundational economic principles are currently addressed across various subjects such as social studies, politics and mathematics, Stefan Düll, President of the German Teachers’ Association, defended the existing framework. Düll cautioned that schools risk overwhelming the core educational mandate by attempting to comprehensively cover all societal themes. He emphasized the shared responsibility of parents and businesses in fostering an understanding of economic dynamics, arguing that the school’s primary function remains broad-based education rather than specialized advocacy. The debate underscores a larger tension: whether the responsibility for cultivating future entrepreneurs should reside primarily within the formal education system, or if a more collaborative approach involving families and the private sector is necessary to significantly boost Germany’s entrepreneurial spirit.