Higher education plays a crucial role in developing the democratic culture without which democratic institutions and laws will not function in practice. In respect of academic freedom and institutional autonomy, democratic institutions should also play a key role in assessing and rethinking how our democracies should evolve over the coming generation to ensure a commitment to European values and the active participation of citizens in public space.

 Steering Committee for Education (CDEDU)

The education department is overseen by the Steering Committee for Educational (CDEDU) and manages projects on:

• Education for Democratic Citizenship/Human Rights Education;
• digital citizenship;
• competences for democratic culture;
• the European Higher Education Area;
• recognition of qualifications;
• history teaching;
• language policy;
• the linguistic integration of adult migrants;
• capacity building;
• ethics, transparency and integrity in education and 
• remembrance of the Holocaust and prevention of crimes against humanity
   

 CDEDU Sub-Group on Higher Education Policy

The CDEDU Sub-Group on higher education policy makes recommendations in this area to the Steering Committee for Education and its Bureau and, more generally, prepares the higher education related items for the agenda of the CDEDU Plenary session and Bureau meetings and advises the Committee and the Bureau on the higher education components of the Council of Europe Education Programme. The Sub-Group oversees the work of the Experts Working Group on Democratic Mission of Higher Education and the Ad Hoc Working Group on Automatic Recognition. 

The Sub-Group is composed of the Chair of the CDEDU, represenatives of public authorities, higher education institutions and international stakeholder organisations active in the field of education. It has currently 25 members.