Multiperspectivity in remembrance and history education for democratic citizenship
Recommendation 2290
(2025)
- Author(s):
- Parliamentary Assembly
- Origin
- Assembly
debate on 29 January 2025 (5th sitting) (see Doc. 16090, report of the Committee on Culture, Science, Education
and Media, rapporteur: Ms Luz Martinez Seijo). Text adopted by the Assembly on
29 January 2025 (5th sitting).
1. The Parliamentary
Assembly, referring to its
Resolution 2584 (2025) “Multiperspectivity in remembrance and history education
for democratic citizenship”, underscores that history education
is key to enabling democratic debate and sustaining and strengthening
pluralism and democratic values in society. Moreover, multiperspectivity
and the appropriate handling of controversial and sensitive issues
in history lessons can be a powerful tool to support peace and reconciliation
in societies. By learning about a difficult period in history from
the angle of human rights and democracy, using interactive and co-operative
learning methodologies, young people will gain confidence and competence
in discussing complex and controversial historical events affecting
their communities and societies from a multiperspective and nuanced
point of view.
2. The Assembly welcomes the political momentum provided by the
2023 Council of Europe Standing Conference of Ministers of Education
for the renewal of the civic mission of education, and emphasises
that the Council of Europe’s “Quality history education in the 21st century
– Principles and guidelines” and the Reference Framework of Competences
for Democratic Culture are excellent tools to be further promoted
and broadly implemented in member States as part of the new Council
of Europe Education Strategy 2024-2030 “Learners first – Education
for today’s and tomorrow’s democratic societies” and the European
Space for Citizenship Education.
3. The Assembly considers that education for democratic citizenship
should be part of school curricula, both as a distinct compulsory
subject and as an integral component of other relevant subjects,
such as history teaching, during all stages of formal education
(primary, secondary and higher education), as well as in vocational
training and non-formal education. Partnerships between formal and
non-formal education – including with sites of remembrance, museums,
archives, the audiovisual sector, civil society and artists – can provide
valuable opportunities for teachers and learners to co-create history
lessons and exercise competences for democratic culture outside
a formal setting.
4. The Assembly accordingly recommends that the Committee of
Ministers:
4.1 support the different
Council of Europe activities relating to history education, ensuring
synergies between the different strands of the intergovernmental
programme and the Observatory on History Teaching in Europe, and
encourage all member States which have not yet done so to join the Observatory;
4.2 encourage the creation of further links and transversality
between Council of Europe activities on culture, heritage, education
and youth;
4.3 provide support and assistance to member States in reviewing
their education policies and integrating the Council of Europe’s
guiding principles for history education and the Reference Framework
of Competences for Democratic Culture into national education curricula.
