Effective implementation of the Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture (RFCDC), the Council of Europe’s flagship instrument in the field of education, requires reaching out to relevant stakeholders at the international and - equally important - to the national and regional levels.
The 11th session of the Council of Europe Education Policy Advisors’ Network (EPAN) took place on May 25 and 26 in Strasbourg to take stock of the main trends and issues in RFCDC implementation in member States and to identify priorities for the future.
The meeting was opened by Villano Qiriazi, Head of Education Department at the Council of Europe, who updated the participants about the latest developments of the Education Department, putting special emphasis on the importance of “participation of young persons in democratic life and decision-making processes, including through education about human rights and core democratic values, such as pluralism, inclusion, non-discrimination, transparency and accountability” as stated in the new Reykjavik Declaration adopted during the 4th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Council of Europe.
The moderator of the conference, Sarah Keating, Head of the Division for Formal and Non-Formal Education, emphasized the closer link between policy and practice.
Over the course of the meeting, the participants engaged in rewarding discussions on the RFCDC in Vocational Education and Training, Digital Citizenship Education and Artificial Intelligence and RFCDC and Education for Sustainable Development.
New initiatives included the election of a Bureau which will oversee the work of the Network, sharing of recent national developments by delegates from Finland, the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine and the United Kingdom and peer learning workshops on the RFCDC implementation. The gathered feedback will be incorporated into the upcoming review of the RFCDC implementation in the Council of Europe member States.
The Council of Europe Education Policy Advisors’ Network gathers representatives from the Council of Europe member States, representing the general education and higher education sectors. The network oversees the implementation of the RFCDC under the auspices of the Steering Committee for Education (CDEDU). Some observer organisations also take part in the meetings.
