Following the Preparedness Union Strategy of the EU, a first report on preparedness education in early childhood and primary education has been published.
In light of multiple crises, the EU launched the Preparedness Union Strategy in March 2025. Natural and human-induced disasters, hybrid threats and geopolitical crises require a resilient response, as mentioned in the strategy. This ‘Whole-of-Society Approach’ comes with some implications for education as well: Preparedness education, defined as education that teaches children how to respond and understand the risks of natural or technological hazards, and of man-made problems such as pandemics, to name just one of many. In addition to adding preparedness to school programmes and staff training, this strategy also aims to engage the population more broadly, for instance by promoting preparedness through youth initiatives and attracting skilled individuals to strengthen the EU’s ability to respond in eventual disasters.
For that reason, the European Commission requested the Education and Culture Executive Agency to deliver a report on preparedness education and its implementation across Europe in early childhood (ISCED 0) and primary education (ISCED 1). 32 national responses included not only Member States of the EU but also countries that are part of the Eurydice network like Iceland, Norway, Turkey or Ukraine. Switzerland, however, did not participate in this data collection round.
Participating countries shared information on whether preparedness education is included in school curricula at early childhood education or primary education; whether preparedness is part of initial teacher education; how it is implemented in quality assurances; to what extend the EU has a guiding role in this topic; and, lastly, if there are any future national plans to include preparedness in education.
In general, at least half of the countries participating in the survey state to have references of preparedness education in early childhood education, and three quarters mention it in primary education curricula. The report indicates that there is a pattern of early childhood education primarily centring on helping children recognise sources of danger, understand methods for self-protection, and acquire basic safety rules. In contrast, primary education emphasises explaining the rationale behind specific rules and developing action-oriented skills.
The results show a patchwork of preparedness education, as is often the case when it comes to education. For instance, while it is the case that a substantial number of national respondents already included preparedness education in curricula, only nine countries include it for primary education, and another nine countries do not mention it at all in the curriculum. However, this does not mean that there is no effective preparedness teaching taking place. In these cases, routine drills or cooperation with other institutions, e.g. with the police, compensate missing mention of preparedness education. Therefore, how preparedness is taught, across Europe, varies from country to country, and sometimes from municipality to municipality.
Some results of this assessment, however, seem to be presented more conclusive than they are. Interestingly, the report indicates that six countries had top-level discussions on integrating preparedness education and on what role the EU could play. Most of them highlight EU funding having potential to improve preparedness education. However, the prominence of these findings in the report raises further questions as only six countries (of which two are not Member States of the EU, e.g. Montenegro and Ukraine) emphasised the EU’s role in facilitating preparedness education with financial and technical means. Given the slow trend of the Commission’s increasing involvement in the education sector over the past decade (e.g. Union of Skills – see SwissCore article) and with the Commission’s power of naming key risks, preparedness education represents a potential low-threshold entry point into curriculum development. This aligns with including citizenship education and civic knowledge in the Action Plan for Basic Skills, which also covers preparedness. Thus, the Commission further enlarges its involvement in education from different angles.
Nevertheless, the report sheds light on an evolving field and sometimes even overlooked task provided by educators and other involved actors. By uniting 32 national respondents, it communicates the diverse approaches to preparedness education practiced across various countries in Europe, as well as strategies that certain countries intend to pursue in the near future.