About Programs Fellowship News Calendar
Rethinking citizenship education in Austria to be more inclusive, effective, and democratic
The foundation for civic and civil education in Austria was laid over 40 years ago when citizenship education was enshrined into law as a teaching principle in 1978. This means that regardless of curricula, citizenship education in Austria is treated as a “cross-curricular educational principle which applies to all subjects and to all types of school, at each level,” according to Zentrum polis. Every Austrian student should develop a foundational knowledge of democracy and politics to become active and informed citizens.
However, the application of citizenship education into the Austrian curriculum varies in practice across different types of schools. As stated by Zentrum polis, in some schools, it is taught as a mandatory course, whereas in others, it is combined with subjects like history and social studies. During a program held in November 2023 by the Salzburg Global Center for Education Transformation, several Austrian education experts contributed their perspectives on the current state of civic and civil education in their country, including its successes and challenges.
Although Austria has integrated political education into its curriculum, Linda Exenberger, the COO of Youth Empowerment and Participation (YEP) Austria, noted that these courses are often less valued than others and focus more narrowly on how political systems function. She suggested that the Austrian school system also include a more action-oriented approach that gives students the agency to identify problems and address them. As a best-practice example, she referenced a promising project in which young people are co-designing school curricula with policymakers for the first time in history.
Philipp Harnik, program officer at the Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens in Austria, stated that “there are a lot of amazing initiatives and really passionate people wanting to make a change,” which was a sentiment shared by all contributing experts. Philipp added that while there are available resources, “oftentimes those resources aren't instrumentalized and used as effectively as they could be. I believe there's a lot more potential for turning the classroom into a space that is not only there for having facts thrown at you, but instead turning the whole process of learning into an active, fun, participatory exercise.”
Julia Pataky, Education Outreach Coordinator at the U.S. Embassy Vienna, pointed out that successfully implementing citizenship education is a challenge shared by both the US and Austria, and that one solution going forward could be to “provide more tailored resources for teachers to make sure that kids across all levels of education are being reached and can develop a sense of citizenship early”.
Another ongoing challenge is the exclusion of many young people from participating in democracies. Linda pointed out that “participation is still a privilege” both in the classroom and our wider society, as it is “only accessible to the ones that have a certain socioeconomic status”. Moreover, young people often feel left out of decisions that affect their lives directly, and most of them want to be more included in decision-making processes for political representation.
One example of a civic and civil education program in Austria is the Democracy Workshop of the Austrian Parliament, where Simone Jordan works as an advisor in the division for Democracy Education. She believes that we need “institutions like parliament taking responsibility in providing democracy education that helps to strengthen democratic awareness and promotes participation in society and politics”.
Globally, the “Austrian Parliament also shares expertise with other national parliaments in the field of democracy education. Civic and civil education shouldn't be a competition, it should be something that we all share and advance together,” shared Simone.
An important improvement for the Austrian education system would be to focus less on teaching about democracy and more on “teaching for democracy”. Stephan Schweighofer, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Salzburg School of Education, explained that “teaching for democracy means that you bring all the relevant stuff that's going on in our societies to the table and discuss it in school. We need to train students to understand different points of view and establish common fundamental values.” To execute this, we need to provide teachers with the “necessary tools and self-confidence to do so. Then, they will be better equipped to discuss and work on topics that are crucial for our democracy.”
Teresa Torzicky, head of the Foundation for Innovation in Education in Austria, commented that in particularly well-functioning schools, there are “a lot of democratic principles in place. You have a lot of participation on all levels ensuring that implemented solutions take into consideration the view of students, teachers, and parents in order to foster solutions that fit the needs. Making this democratic process really transparent at schools not only for children but also for the involved grown-ups is a very straightforward and also easy and powerful way of doing this.”
Rethinking the approach to civic and civil education in Austria is a crucial step towards a wider transformation of education systems. Philipp commented, “Education lies at the root of any type of transformation because it serves as a vehicle to change so many other aspects within our lives… Quality education is one of the 17 [Sustainable Development] Goals, but it is equally a vehicle that equips learners with the knowledge, skills, and values to work towards achieving all of the other 16 goals. Learners of all ages should act with passion and compassion in a spirit of global citizenship.”
Addressing the challenges in implementing citizenship education, fostering inclusive participation, and emphasizing a holistic approach to teaching for democracy are pivotal steps in developing a more engaged citizenry. Austria should pave a path where every student becomes not just well-informed but actively empowered to contribute meaningfully to the future of their nation and the global community.
The Salzburg Global Fellows featured in this article attended the Salzburg Global Center for Education Transformation program on “Civic and Civil Education: Identity, Belonging and Education in the 21st Century”. Along with other Fellows from educational spaces worldwide, they gathered at Schloss Leopoldskron from November 14 to 19, 2023, to rethink the role that education can play in tackling issues like declining democracy, misinformation, and polarization, by considering how to support citizens with skills and behaviors to live harmoniously.
“Civic and Civil Education: Identity, Belonging and Education in the 21st Century” is part of the Education for Tomorrow’s World series, which informs new approaches to learning, skills, and inclusion for radically different societies.