Polish perspective on education for democracy in the UN

Excellencies, Ladies and gentlemen, 

I am privileged to speak here today on a subject that is crucial for advancing democracy in the world. 

Let me start my presentation with the basic but fundamental question – why does democracy need education?     The answer is simple. It is not possible to democratically govern a state where only a minority have access to education and where civil education does not exist. This is an obvious answer although still hardly understood by many rulers.

 Education per se is crucial for upholding the UN fundamental values such as human rights, the rule of law and democracy. It brings a great potential to enhance accountability in public life. Just to remind you that access to education is everyone’s right.

 As for the relation between education and democracy, let me stress that education is extremely important for the strengthening of democracy. Generally, it is observed that the more educated democracies are, the more stable they become.

 Political leaders should not underestimate education and should not undermine its  influence. Let me recall students’ protests organized frequently around the world, with the aim of guaranteeing values such as freedom, access to information or democratic election. In Poland, we have also had numerous examples of student activism during the communist period.

 However, the notion of well-educated citizens does not refer to university degrees but to internally shaped set of democratic values. In order to become a well-educated citizen someone has to adapt the democratic principles and values as inherently his or hers.

 That is why we should perceive education for democracy as a “work-in-progress” and that is why we need to mainstream this issue in not only in our domestic systems but also in the work of international community, including the UN.  However, we must remember that there is no one-size-fits-all approach and we have to envisage education for democracy  in specific context of the given country. 

Let me now reflect on the UN GA resolution “Education for Democracy” of 2012.

 I believe that we have a very good legal basis for moving forward with democratic education and promoting democratic values. The growing awareness  in this field is reflected in the resolution of the United Nations General Assembly “Education for democracy” of 2012 (A/67/18). This resolution was proposed by Mongolia. My colleague, the Ambassador of Mongolia already spoke in the first part of the workshop about this important initiative that will be further developed during the 69th session of the UN General Assembly. This resolution, together with the UNESCO resolution “Supporting the global citizenship agenda through education for democracy” of 2013  – whose adoption we welcomed and firmly supported from the very beginning -  rightly point out to the importance of having educated citizens who are ready to take responsibility for their country. 

This will come as no surprise if I say that the implementing of the recommendations of these resolutions represents a certain challenge. Elaborating good quality curricula is a serious and responsible task. Another important aspect is providing teachers and educators with high-quality lesson materials enabling to introduce civil and human rights education into schools in an enjoyable, interactive and challenging way. 

Now I would like to focus on the recommendations of the UNGA resolution “Education for Democracy” which are addressed to Member States and intergovernmental organizations.  I am pretty sure that Director Roland Rich will present the UN achievements in the field of education for democracy, so I’m going to focus on Poland’s experiences and to say a few words on activities of the Community of Democracies in this regard. 

Fortunately, education for democracy is on the agenda of some international organizations. As a representative of the country co-chairing the Community of Democracies’ working group on education for democracy I would like to spotlight Community of Democracies’  focus on this issue. 

It needs to be stressed that the importance of education for democracy is widely recognized within the Community of Democracies’ activities. Its advancement was underlined during the 7th Ministerial Conference, which took place last April in Ulaanbaatar. It is where we committed ourselves to “work together to promote the full and meaningful implementation of the United Nations General Assembly resolution (A/RES/67/18) of 2012 on Education for Democracy…”. 

In this respect, it is also worth recalling the Charlottesville Declaration, adopted in 2013 by the Council for the Community of Democracies, which calls for raising standards in the field of education for democracy. Recommendations for CD’s Member States include: developing Democracy Action Plan and ensuring adequate resources for the goal of democracy education in the school systems. 

Poland is very pleased to co-chair the working group on education for democracy together with Mongolia. We believe that the working group is an excellent platform for discussion, exchange of experience and best practices. Together with other countries we are working on enhancing international cooperation in order to provide opportunities for promoting and strengthening democratic values by education. 

Its time to say a few words on Poland’s experiences in the field of education for democracy. Poland is strongly committed to promotion of democracy education. With this aim we put emphasis on working closely together with the civil society. Here I would like to highlight  three topics: 1)civil education as part of school curriculum, 2)the importance of practical dimension of the learning and 3)who should address the issue of education for democracy.  I will also present some examples of projects in this field. 

As in many other countries,  democracy education in Poland is a part of school curriculum. We see it as an effective way of planting the seeds of democracy. Every week, students have the possibility to learn and discuss political systems and recent developments in the world. This time provides a unique opportunity to nurture a democratic society with empowered citizens participating in political life. Needless to say, that the curriculum must be adjusted to the age range of students. Only in such a way the education path could successfully lay foundations for democracy. 

But it is not enough to introduce civil education as an obligatory subject. Our efforts will not bear fruit if we do not put theories into practice. It needs to be firmly stressed, that  education on democracy through practice is just as important as education about democracy through books and lectures. We believe that without shaping in practice  a proper  democratic attitudes all other efforts would be made in vain. 

Schools are the most obvious environment to teach the rules of democracy. This is where we can teach accountability, the basics of the functioning of the electoral system, decision-making process, leadership, consensus-building and team-working. Democracy is not just a game for adults only; students should also be  involved, and that is why we need democratically governed schools which promote students’ active participation. 

If schools are to become an authentic democratic environment, they need to make room for students’ engagement in the management of collective areas. In Poland, we have the legal basis to give youth a voice. According to the Bill of Education of 1991, students and pupils have the right to participate in school management through students’ and schools’ councils. Each year we see a growing number of active students’ councils, although their potential still needs to be explored. 

But education for democracy does not only refer to students. It is also a task for headmasters, teachers and local non-governmental organizations. 

Here let me mention the project called “The Summer Academy: Democracy at School” which has been carried out since 2010 in cooperation between Polish Ministry of National Education, Polish Centre for Education Development, the European Wergeland Centre, and the Council of Europe. By bringing together teachers and their school heads, local NGOs, teacher training institutions, parents’ associations from Eastern Europe and the Caucasus region - this project becomes a perfect example of a whole-school approach. It creates an opportunity to transform classrooms, schools and communities into inclusive, comprehensive democratic environment and to accomplish a wider impact. 

What’s more, the Polish Parliament is also engaged in advancing democratic education. Both chambers put emphasis on the promotion of democracy among young generations. Without entering into details I would like to mention one initiative. Every year, on the occasion of the International Children’s Day on 1st of June, students can participate in the so called Youth Parliament session. We are proud of the fact that the Polish Parliament was the first one in the world to start the tradition of Youth Parliament over 20 years ago now. 

It needs to be stressed that education for democracy is also on the agenda of Polish non-governmental sector. We have organizations that have been operating for 25 years with the aim of encouraging active citizenship. They foster students’ skills for effective engagement in public life and promote positive social change within communities. 

To conclude, let me paraphrase the words used by a great Pole Jan Zamoyski more than four hundred years ago – “Democracies will be as good as the education their children received”.   

Thank you for your attention.