How do we equip our children to cope with a world of uncertainties while at the same time developing their optimism, curiosity and capacity for openness and tolerance? A broad political consensus about meeting that challenge has made the United Kingdom one of the leaders in education for democratic citizenshiop (EDC) in Europe.
Interview with David Kerr, national EDC co-ordinator for the United Kingdom and researcher at the National Foundation for Educational Research
17.05.2005
Question: What benefits does the European Year have for Education for Democratic Citizenship (EDC) policies in the United Kingdom?
David Kerr: Having had little history or tradition in EDC, there has been a sudden burst in policy and practice which has placed the countries of the UK as one of the leading EDC proponents in Europe. We are working hard to translate EDC policy into everyday effective practices.
Because we have broad political consensus on it, EDC is not identified with any particular political party but viewed as a national objective. Reform of the national curriculum, which began in 1997, led in 2002 to a new curriculum subject, Citizenship, being incorporated into the national curriculum in schools in England.
The European Year has been a confidence boost for everyone working in EDC in Britain, as evidence that EDC is not just a national concern but an important challenge for all countries in Europe and beyond: how do we equip our children to cope with a world of uncertainties while developing their capacity for optimism, curiosity, openness and tolerance?!
The European Year has also helped the four countries of the UK – England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales – to compare and co-ordinate their approaches to EDC.. A showcase conference in Manchester in May will provide the opportunity to share UK practice with colleagues from across Europe.
Question: A recent survey by the National Foundation for Educational Research in Britain found that European Union institutions and political institutions generally were little taught in EDC. That finding matches British students’ suspicion of national politicians and above all of Euro MPs. How do you account for the situation?
David Kerr: Flexibility is one of the EDC strengths in England: there are no compulsory textbooks, just a strong outline curriculum framework.
Thereafter it is market forces that decide how the particular textbook fares, according to demand from schools and teachers. Teachers are free to choose what topics they teach their classes in line with the framework: subject matter ranges from the referendum on the European Constitution to local-authority difficulties.
There is a concern that some teachers, at present, lack the confidence to tackle the complexities of electoral processes and European institutions and feel ill-equipped to take an institutional approach to politics.
For example, teachers view the European Constitution as containing a large number of highly technical issues in which they are not really qualified to weigh the pros and cons, particularly as the subject of the Constitution is conspicuously absent from public discussion in the United Kingdom.
That is why training for teachers is of prime importance in UK EDC, and in EDC in Europe too.
Question: You are one of the main authors of the pan-European study on EDC policies. What were the study’s main findings?
David Kerr: The pan-European study helped the Council of Europe to formulate and rank priorities for the EDC programme. The findings underlined the need to provide training for teachers, evaluate constantly, and pay attention to quality of formal and informal teaching of democratic citizenship. The regional reports, based on the national case studies, provided keys to understanding the diversity of practices and problems in putting EDC into effect in European countries. I suggest that the reports be made more accessible to the public by being given greater prominence on the Council of Europe site.
(Source: Council of Europe)
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