SDG4 all activities
Through its activities, standards and tools developed in this field, the Council of Europe encourages its member States to provide equitable, quality education whereby all learners acquire the competencies, values, culture and knowledge essential for ensuring social integration and intercultural openness. Activities ranging from the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, to projects such as the Quality Education in Romani for Europe, the development of a Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture and the support provided by the Education Policy Advisors Network to effective implementation of Council of Europe education standards are just some of its stepping stones for achieving equitable, quality primary and secondary education that leads to relevant and effective learning outcomes in line with the values and culture of human rights and democratic citizenship.
ActivitiesThrough capacity building and co-operation programmes, the Education Department aims to increase the capacity of national education systems to provide quality education, develop competences for a democratic culture, fight discrimination, support integrity and transparency in education and combat extremism and violence in schools.
- All programmes are based on the policy work of the Council of Europe, tailored to the specific needs of each country.
- Rapid reaction - Targeted, strategic support is offered to countries upon request and available resources. This includes advice on a draft law or a new curriculum.
- Projects are implemented within several frameworks, including the Council of Europe ordinary budget, Council of Europe Action Plans, joint programmes with the European Union, voluntary contributions from the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida), the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Germany, the Norwegian and Italian Ministries of Education, Belgium (Government of Flanders), Georgia, Monaco and the EEA/Norway grants.
European Qualifications Passport for Refugees (EQPR)
The EQPR is a Council of Europe initiative supported by partners from ten countries and the UNHCR aiming at facilitating the recognition of refugees’ qualifications even in the absence of full documentation. The EQPR is a document that can be used by refugees when they seek to enter the job market or to access further studies.
LEMON - Learning Modules Online
The Council of Europe Education Department platform “LEMON” offers practical teaching and training resources to different categories of learners focusing on the missions of the Council of Europe - protection and promotion of human rights, democracy and the rule of law. Topics of interest include media literacy and information disorder, competences for democratic culture, education as a human right and democratic environments in schools.
Best Practice Programme in Promoting Academic Integrity
Based on the ETINED principles, the Programme aims at identifying, publicly recognising and disseminating relevant practices in promoting academic integrity throughout higher education institutions in Europe. Public and private higher education institutions recognised as belonging to the education system of one of the 50 States parties to the European Cultural Convention, as well as Student unions associated with higher education institutions, have the opportunity to apply to a public call, published every two years, to promote and disseminate relevant practices in promoting academic integrity.
In the Western Balkans, three projects promoting democratic culture and academic integrity are currently being implemented within the framework of the EU-CoE Horizontal Facility II for the Western Balkans and Turkey:
- "Quality Education for All" in Bosnia and Herzegovina aims to foster quality education for all by applying anti-discriminatory approaches based on Council of Europe standards and practices to promote inclusion and address discrimination in the education system.
- "Quality Education for All" in Montenegro aims to foster quality education in pre-university and higher education by implementing the Council of Europe Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture (RFCDC) and promoting good practices of the Platform for Ethics, Transparency and Integrity in Education (ETINED).
- "Quality Education for All" in Serbia aims to foster quality education for all in the Serbian formal education system by fighting discrimination in education through the implementation of the Council of Europe Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture (RFCDC).
INCLUDE - Building Capacity for Inclusion in Education
Funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe and implemented in Kosovo* the project INCLUDE aims to foster quality education and improve access to education for children from disadvantaged groups including Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian children and children with special education needs.
Strengthening democratic citizenship education in Albania
Implemented by the Council of Europe and funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), the project aims to improve the quality of education in Albania by strengthening democratic citizenship education based on Council of Europe standards and practices.
Education for Democracy in the Republic of Moldova
Funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), the project helps strengthening the capacity of the Moldovan education system to support the development of the knowledge and competences necessary for someone to become an engaged citizen. The project promotes the integration of the Council of Europe Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture (RFCDC) in school curricula, teacher education, teaching practices and school governance.
Implemented by the Council of Europe and funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), the project aims to strengthen democracy in Georgia through the increased participation of young people in decision-making processes at the local level through democratic citizenship education and practices in schools.
Quality Education for All - North Macedonia
Implemented by the Council of Europe in co-operation with the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of North Macedonia, the project is funded by Germany and aims to promote democracy and human rights in and through education and equip young people with the competences to live in a multicultural society through a comprehensive set of initiatives at the policy and grassroot levels.
The Council of Europe provides strategic advice and support to the EEA/Norway grant programme area “Children and Youth at Risk” in Bulgaria, Romania and the Slovak Republic.
Completed projects can be accessed here, and include, among others, the European Union-Council of Europe Joint Programme "Democratic and Inclusive School Culture in Operation (DISCO)", a programme to support countries wishing to work together on the area of democratic citizenship and human rights education, and Strengthening Integrity and Combatting Corruption in Higher Education in Armenia, supporting further development and effective implementation of legislative and institutional frameworks for ensuring integrity and combatting corruption in higher education.
* This designation is without prejudice to positions on status and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence.
Language of schooling
Languages of schooling are taught as subjects in their own right (literacy, reading, writing, literature, thinking about language, etc.) but also used for the teaching of other subjects (maths, biology, history, geography etc.).
USEFUL LINKS
See all activities