Education influencer and former teacher Gina Waibel is calling on educators to take a firm stance against racism and discrimination in the classroom, arguing that political neutrality in schools is frequently misunderstood. According to an interview with spot on news published alongside the release of her new book, “Schule, aber stabil. Warum wir jetzt Haltung brauchen, um unser Bildungssystem zu demokratisieren” (EMF Verlag), neutral education does not require teachers to remain silent on human rights violations.
Defining Political Neutrality in the Classroom
According to Gina Waibel, neutrality in schools means standing on the foundation of the free democratic basic order rather than remaining silent on political issues. Teachers must take a clear position against racism, discrimination, and other anti-human statements rather than standing by neutrally. However, Waibel emphasizes that educators are strictly prohibited from acting in a partisan political manner, such as telling students which political party to vote for.
At the same time, partisan neutrality does not mean political party platforms cannot be critically examined in class. When political parties or their representatives promote racist or discriminatory positions, teachers can and must critically address and contextualize those statements during lessons. While educators should never pressure students toward a specific partisan stance, they carry a clear mandate to teach and defend democratic values and human rights.
Recognizing Far-Right Codes and Countering Intimidation
When confronted with racist or extreme-right statements in the classroom, teachers must offer a clear contradiction, according to Waibel. However, she notes that educators must first possess the training to identify racist, far-right, or anti-democratic rhetoric in the first place. Waibel advocates for integrating anti-racism, diversity sensitivity, and democratic training into teacher education programs so staff can recognize subtle far-right symbols, codes, and narratives that appear in daily school life.
This professional vulnerability intersects with growing political pressure. In recent years, teachers, school leadership teams, and entire schools have faced targeted pressure for displaying democratic stances. According to Waibel, actors including the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party have utilized formal instruments like official supervisory complaints and parliamentary inquiries to intimidate individual teachers. This creates a chilling effect where observing colleagues wonder if they will face disciplinary records for speaking out, ultimately leading to silence that threatens democratic education.
Addressing Digital Radicalization and the Educational Mandate
Many educators argue that their sole responsibility is delivering curriculum content and preparing students for graduation exams. Waibel pushes back against this narrow role definition, pointing out that schools have held a fundamental educational and civic mandate to foster mature citizens capable of participating in a democratic society since 1945.
This mandate extends directly to digital spaces. Far-right narratives and anti-human statements frequently enter the classroom through platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. Waibel advises teachers to stay familiar with the digital environments of their students and to address these topics proactively rather than only intervening after an incident occurs. When teachers detect hardening anti-democratic attitudes or active radicalization processes among students, Waibel suggests utilizing external counseling centers and democratic programs designed for prevention and intervention work.
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