STENDAL, Germany ¨C A woodwork teacher in the eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt has triggered a dispute over political expression in the classroom ahead of a regional election in two months that could produce radical changes in schools if the far-right AfD wins.
To the AfD (Alternative for Germany), whose nationalist, anti-immigrant platform has made it a formidable political force, the question is one of fairness and proper educational practice. To its critics, it is about silencing legitimate discussion of a party whose program, they say, would undo safeguards against a revival ?of Germany¡¯s extremist past.
Max Heckel, who teaches craft and technical work in the town of Stendal, was reported to Saxony-Anhalt¡¯s Schools Office last year after a conversation with a pupil ?who he ?said had asked him as he was clearing up after a lesson whether he had voted for the AfD.
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