Publications
Civic education
Article Community & integration
Civic education is an essential part of democracy.
Since the Federal Republic of Germany was first founded, civic education has evolved into an independent task with two main objectives:
- to ensure that individuals have the knowledge and skills they need to form independent opinions and make informed decisions; and
- to enable them to reflect on their own situation, recognize and meet their own responsibilities to society and play an active role in social and political processes.
Civic education in Germany is non-partisan but not impartial; it is grounded in the values and interpretation of democracy found in our Constitution, the Basic Law. Civic education should start precisely where social consensus in a democracy is threatened.
The Federal Agency for Civic Education (BpB), one of the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community’s executive agencies, helps develop political judgement, teaches knowledge and skills and promotes political participation. The regional centres for civic education and other organizations at state and regional level perform the wide-ranging task of teaching about democracy and political reflection.
Political foundations also pursue similar aims. These foundations are affiliated with established political parties in terms of their political, intellectual and philosophical orientation, but independent of the parties also offer a variety of educational services. In this way they represent the entire political spectrum.
