The status of Civic Education as a school subject must be aligned with the European framework for education for democratic citizenship, and its implementation should follow a teaching paradigm based on participation, inquiry, and experiential learning. Civic Education represents a journey that begins with the child and moves towards nurturing responsible, free, empathetic, ethically competent, and active citizens, are the key messages of the Action Document on Civic Education, prepared within the project implemented by the Centre for Civic Education (CCE), Human Rights Action (HRA), and ANIMA – Centre for Women and Peace Education.
The Action Document, drafted by Neđeljko Đurović, professor and activist, consolidates recommendations for enhancing the status of Civic Education, which were developed through consultations with primary and secondary school students, teaching staff, parents, the academic community, and civil society organizations engaged in non-formal education.
A Baseline study on the current state of civic and human rights education, authored by professors Sava Kovačević and Miroslav Minić, served also as a basis for this document.
Strengthening the role of civic and human rights education in schools, as well as modern pedagogical approaches to teaching them, is also recognized as a priority in the Education Reform Strategy 2025 – 2035. All consulted groups emphasized that Civic Education must be a compulsory subject, and the Action Document provides concrete steps and suggestions regarding curriculum, teaching methods, and qualifications of teachers who will teach the subject.
One of the key recommendations from the document is that learning must be participatory and experiential,supported by institutions, civil society, media, and international organizations. This approach will enable students to acquire knowledge and skills for independently or collectively addressing real community issues, volunteering, or implementing projects. Through this model, students will have the opportunity to apply civic competencies, making action, organization, negotiation, and responsibility dominant behaviours among youth in Montenegro, rather than remaining theoretical.
International trends show that attending Civic Education classes is essential for understanding the fragility of democratic institutions and recognizing the importance of daily efforts to protect human rights and freedoms.
The document also presents four operational objectives: promoting the importance of integration of civic and human rights education in formal education in Montenegro; developing a knowledge catalogue – curricula for Civic Education; conducting teacher training for delivering compulsory Civic Education; and creating an interoperable portal for teaching materials, teaching models, and good practice examples.
The Action Document, available in Montenegrin and English, will be presented to decision-makers and used to advocate for reinstating Civic Education as a compulsory subject, a goal that CCE, HRA, and ANIMA have been pursuing for years.
The project “Enhancing Education for Civic and Human Rights: Educational Reforms for a Stronger Democracy”, implemented by CCE, HRA, and ANIMA, is part of the programme “Strengthening Citizens’ Trust in Institutions and Building Resilient Communities”, led by UNDP, UNICEF, and UNESCO, in cooperation with the Government of Montenegro. The project is funded by the UN Peacebuilding Fund.
Sara Čabarkapa, Active Citizenship Programme Coordinator