On the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the European Wergeland Centre (EWC) and the International Day of Education, a seminar on "Education as civic preparedness, bridging policy and practice: Lessons from Ukraine and other European countries" was organised jointly by the Permanent Representations of Liechtenstein and Norway to the Council of Europe and the European Wergeland Centre itself.
The seminar focused on how schools that build a democratic culture, curriculum, and community are better prepared to respond to crises. By using examples from the EWC’s work in Ukraine and other countries, the discussion shed light on how policies and tools can help to ensure resilience and civic preparedness in practice, with examples provided from a range of education systems.
These are examples are in line with the Reykjavik Declaration issued by European leaders at the Council of Europe’s Summit of Heads of State and Government last May, and the Organisation’s Education strategy ‘Learners first’, which stresses the importance of educators’ and institutions’ responsiveness to changing needs, and of making learners resilient to crises.
Chairing the Committee of Ministers, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Education and Sports of Liechtenstein, Dominique Hasler, emphasised the role of children, youth and education as a priority under its presidency.
“Our Presidency is an excellent and exceptional opportunity to deepen various objectives of the curriculum, for example in the areas of politics, democracy and human rights. Liechtenstein places education in the forefront when shaping responsible and engaged citizens. The reason for this is evident: education is not merely a tool for knowledge transfer; it is the cornerstone of building informed, engaged, and responsible citizens,” said Minister Hasler.
The seminar heard that since the beginning of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, many of the 400 Ukrainian schools in the EWC’s network have become local humanitarian hubs while at the same time continuing to fulfil their mandate of educating children and young people to be active, democratic citizens, during this time of war and beyond it. The Schools for Democracy project in Ukraine also facilitates re-training of teachers and school heads and supports schools in building safe and inclusive learning environments.
In his speech, Deputy Secretary General, Council of Europe Bjørn Berge, thanked the leadership of the Wergeland Centre and all those who have contributed to its work. “Helping member states equip young people with the tools they need to raise awareness, educate and build a better, democratic future for us all - this is what we mean when we talk about education as an investment. It is an investment in our democracy,” he said.
Also speaking at the event, State Secretary of Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Varteressian said: “Democratic values are universal. They belong to all of us. Fulfilment of the right to education is key to the realisation of all human rights and democratic freedoms. Safeguarding education and ensuring continuity of education for children growing up during conflict and crisis is crucial. We need better and more systematic approaches to protect education in crises and conflict.”
