Is the repository search a topic for my classroom? What do I need to address the repository search in my lessons? What kind of support does BASE offer to teachers? 

These were the questions at the centre of discussions with around 1,000 teachers, educators and other educational multipliers that BASE staff held from 10 to 15 February 2025 at the didacta education fair. Since 2022, BASE has been represented at the fair with its own stand, providing information not only on the site selection process but also on potential teaching links and materials for use in schools. 

Repository search as a teaching topic offers numerous links to school curricula 

Interest this year was enormous: 200 role-play boxes, 450 copies of the teaching materials and 700 colouring and puzzle booklets were distributed; BASE is also sending out many additional orders directly to schools.  

Intergenerational responsibility and strong opportunities for participation – the repository search is an interdisciplinary topic with connections to political science, geography, ethics/philosophy and physics. 

BASE President Christian Kühn also visited the BASE stand at didacta. “What’s particularly encouraging is that every year, more and more education professionals are proactively making connections to their own subjects, seeking conversations with BASE staff and praising the value of the materials for classroom use,” said Kühn.  

BASE and BGE: Joint actors in the search process with complementary educational offerings 

This year, BASE and BGE jointly hosted a stand for the first time under the banner “Educational offerings on the repository search”. This joint presence makes it easier to explain the respective responsibilities of the two actors in the site selection process and to present their complementary resources for education. 

As the body responsible for public participation, BASE offers educational materials for social sciences and interdisciplinary teaching projects: In the role-play “Citizens’ Dialog Mitthausen”, students take on the role of fictional citizens from a potential site region and discuss their expectations for participation in the repository search. 

Materials for political science classes deal with different forms of public participation. In ethics/philosophy lessons, the repository search connects with the topic of intergenerational responsibility.

BASE also provides resources for younger children: In the colouring and puzzle book “Wohin mit dem Müll” (“Where does the waste go”), preschool and primary school children learn through play about the disposal of radioactive waste.