Strategy for Civic Education in Primary and Secondary Schools in ...

SITUATION ANALYSIS
I Status of Civic Education as a Subject
According to the Council of Europe’s definition , Education for Democratic
Citizenship (EDC) is “a set of practices and principles aimed at
making young people and adults better equipped to participate actively
in democratic life by assuming and exercising their rights and responsibilities
in society.“ Following the Ministerial conference , EDC has
become the common goal in education and the basic trend in European
education policies.
EDC covers a wide range of activities and programmes grouped in four
main areas: human rights education, political education, education for
peace and education for democracy, and it takes place in different forms
of education – formal, non-formal and informal. EDC policy is based on
the principles of life-long learning.
When so formulated, it becomes clear EDC presents a comprehensive
and far-reaching vision, an ideal we need to aspire to in designing educational
policies, at different levels and in different learning environments.
However, at the current point in the process, most often recognised are
the elements carried out in formal education, be it as separate subjects
(compulsory and elective), as an integrative approach to teaching or as
extracurricular activities.
Birzea, C. Et al: All-European Study on Policies for Education for Democratic Citizenship,
Centre for Civic Education, 2005, Podgorica
Krakov, 2000
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