Role of education in the digital era: from “digital natives” to “digital citizens
Reply to Recommendation
| Doc. 15200
| 16 December 2020
- Author(s):
- Committee of Ministers
- Origin
- Adopted at the 1391st meeting
of the Ministers’ Deputies (8 December 2020). 2021 - First part-session
- Reply to Recommendation
- : Recommendation 2167
(2019)
1. The Committee of Ministers has carefully
considered Parliamentary Assembly
Recommendation 2167 (2019) on “The
role of education in the digital era: from “digital natives” to
“digital citizens”. It has forwarded it to the relevant Council
of Europe bodies for information or comments.
Note
2. The Committee of Ministers is convinced of the role and importance
of education in “the digital era” and of the need to prepare tomorrow’s
“digital citizens” for future challenges. It welcomes the initiative
by the Parliamentary Assembly aimed at encouraging member States
to draw on relevant Council of Europe instruments and implement
them appropriately.
3. In the current circumstances linked to Covid-19 and in view
of the widespread recourse to online learning, for which no member
State was fully prepared, the Committee of Ministers believes that
the implementation of the Reference Framework of Competences for
Democratic Culture and of the Digital Citizenship Education project
are more relevant than ever. It notes that the challenges for the
future include ensuring the provision of inclusive, accessible,
equitable and sustainable digital learning, enabling all students to
participate.
4. The Committee of Ministers draws attention to other instruments
and tools to be taken into account on this subject. In addition
to Recommendation
CM/Rec(2019)10 on
developing and promoting digital citizenship education and Recommendation
CM/Rec(2018)7 on
Guidelines to respect, protect and fulfil the rights of the child
in the digital environment, which the Assembly mentioned, reference
should be made to Recommendation
CM/Rec(2012)2 on
the participation of children and young people under the age of
18 and to the Council of Europe Internet Literacy Handbook published
in 2017 when assessing the Council of Europe instruments aimed at
promoting children’s participation in modern society. Additionally,
the European Commission recently adopted the Digital Education Action
Plan (2021-2027), which outlines its long-term strategy for inclusive,
high-quality and accessible digital education. The Action Plan proposes
14 initiatives and 2 priority areas that aim to support EU member
States with building up the digital capacity and readiness of their
education and training systems and are complementary to the Council
of Europe’s instruments.
5. Bearing in mind these key instruments of the Council of Europe,
the Committee of Ministers has taken due note of the recommendations
made by the Parliamentary Assembly and would point out that some
of them are already being implemented.
6. For instance, with a view to implementing the current Council
of Europe Strategy for the Rights of the Child (2016-2021), the
organisation of activities in follow-up to
CM/Rec(2018)7 is
provided for in the specific tasks of the CDENF. In this context,
it is important to take appropriate account of the essential components
of digital literacy education, in terms both of the positive use
of online tools and resources and also of protection against online
risks.
7. Moreover, an informal Conference of Ministers of Education
organised under the Greek Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers
was held online on 29 October 2020. One of the themes discussed,
“Making the right to education a reality under a pandemic”, sought
to devise a European response to challenges created by the health
crisis in order to ensure that the right to education was effective
also in times of crisis and to ensure equal access to quality education.
8. At the conference, a Political Declaration on the education
response to the Covid-19 crisis was approved by the Ministers and
a Roadmap for Action was presented to them setting out how the Council
of Europe can help member States face the education challenges of
the Covid-19 pandemic and its aftermath. Among other things, it
is proposed that examples of relevant practice of online or hybrid
education provision in times of crisis be supported and brought
together through the Democratic Schools Network (DSN), and that
a full-scale online training programme be developed for educators
on Digital Citizenship Education to enhance their capacity to teach
effectively in the digital age.
9. In this context, the Committee of Ministers notes with interest
the Assembly’s proposal that guidelines be provided for establishing
an ethical and pedagogical framework governing partnerships between educational
institutions and the private sector.
10. Lastly, the Committee of Ministers considers that promoting
the use of artificial intelligence in education, as mentioned in
the last paragraph of the Assembly’s recommendation is a positive
measure in itself. However, it believes it is important that this
is done alongside reflection about the risks presented by artificial
intelligence to children’s and young people’s rights and well-being,
including and especially in education.
