"The Parliamentary Assembly is of the firm view that education is a fundamental pillar of democracy. Schools bring together people of different ages, backgrounds and disciplines to a degree that is only found in a few other community spaces such as family networks. Schools are not just places for academic instruction, but also spaces where children and young people can participate as community members, engage in co-operative learning, develop social skills and attitudes such as critical thinking and empathy, learn about democratic values, and respect and value diversity. This work begins within the family and continues through collaboration between schools and parents, recalling the subsidiarity principle with regard to the primary role and responsibility of parents in the education of their children."