5.10 Current debates and reforms
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Forthcoming policy development
Participation within the implemetation of the Child Guarantee
National Implementation plan of the Child Guarantee (approved on 16 November 2022, but not being publicised and promoted yet) defines as one of its goals “creation of an environment friendly to involving children in decision-making processes”. This should be facilitated by the Czech participation in the project “Strengthening the participation of children in policy and decision making at the national level in EU member states”, which is being implemented by the Council of Europe and the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs is a partner of the project.
Ongoing debates
Coordination of national youth representation
National Parliament of Children and Youth ceased to exist in 2021. In 2022, young people from the High-school Parliament of Prague started their initiative to build up a successive coordinating body and the Czech Council of Children and Youth lent a hand. 2023 year should bring some tangible result of their joint initiative.
Citizenship Education in the national curricula for basic education
There is an ongoing debate on citizenship education. In December 2014, the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Parliament adopted Resolution to promote citizenship education.
Based on the Resolution, in 2016 the Ministry of Education Youth and Sports started the Systematic support for citizenship education in schools by experimental testing to stabilise the role of pupils' parliaments in citizenship education.
The main goals of the experimental testing were:
- To verify the system of development of Pupils parliaments at pilot schools and create consultative centres for support of other schools in the future; 21 schools of all types in the whole country (including socially problematic locations) will join the testing phase.
- Identify themes, activities and tools for setting up calls for applications within the European Social Fund (OP VVV) and other subsidies.
- Check how to best support the teacher who coordinates a pupil parliament at the school, and how to promote these activities to parents and to the local community.
- Develop a system of effective assessment of student parliaments.
The main responsibility for the testing lied with the National Institute for Education (NÚV), later reformed into the National Pedagogical Institute, and expert and methodic guarantees were provided by the Center for Citizenship Education (COV) and Center for democratic learning (CEDU).
The pilot testing was closed in mid-2018. In December 2018 non-formal presentation of the outcomes was held at the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports.
Revision of national curricula is undergoing based on the Ministry of Education´s decision. The National Pedagogical Institute is responsible for the preparation. Within the revision process, many changes are discussed related to youth participation in school as well as regarding the citizenship education. In 2019 the first draft of the expert works on new curricula was presented via a webinar and the public debate was opened. The revised curriculum was presented in early 2021. However, the cuts in hours for the new curricula (in favor of digital education) face a wave of criticism in Spring 2021.
Youth participation and the Structured Dialogue with Youth
In the end of November 2018, the Council of EU approved a new EU Youth Strategy for 2019 - 2027. Its implementation impacts heavily also the topic of youth participation and changes on the EU level also the processes of the Structured Dialogue with youth creating new "EU Youth Dialogue". As the nationally adopted concept od the Structured dialogue with Youth became an important concept in the Czech Youth Policy, the new implications are discussed.