Poland in the Council of Europe

The meeting was officially opened by Deputy Secretary General B. Berge, Minister of Education and Science of Latvia A. Čakša, UNESCO Deputy Director General for Education S. Giannini and President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities L. Verbeek.

The Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe emphasized how important it is to support young people in participating and making decisions in a democratic society. He emphasized that investing in young people is hope for a safe and democratic future of Europe.

Stefania Giannini, representing UNESCO, drew attention to the current challenges faced by education systems. She primarily focused on digital literacy and digital transformation, which, if properly regulated by law, can provide students with a more personalized approach to learning. She indicated UNESCO instruments that already contribute to this process, e.g. Guidance for generative AI in education and research and AI Competency Framework for teachers.

The ministerial part included three main thematic sessions on challenges related to education: Renewal of the civic mission of education, Education in times of emergency and crisis, Harnessing the potential of digital transformation in and through education.

It was stated that one of the pillars of the Council of Europe’s education strategy 2024-2030 should be preparing students for an active life in a democratic society. In order to support student in acquiring competences appropriate for democratic culture, the RFCDC instrument was created - Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture.

The most demanding challenges for European education systems include the Covid-19 pandemic, migration flows, Russian aggression against Ukraine and the climate crisis. The need to adapt education to respond to crises and emergency situations and to ensure the right to high-quality education in all conditions was emphasized. For this purpose, it was proposed to create an instrument "Education in times of emergencies and crisis toolkit - EDURES".

The potential of using new technologies, especially artificial intelligence, in building more personalised teaching programs and promoting democratic values and human rights was also appreciated. It was agreed that to enable individuals to harness the full potential of new technologies, it is necessary to understand their basic functioning and impact on everyday life.

The Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Marija Pejčinović Burić summarized the conference by emphasizing that democracy should be built into European education systems. She outlined that the Conference, together with the adopted resolutions, gives concrete form to the aspirations of the member states from the IV. Summit of the Heads of State and Government of the Council of Europe in Reykjavik.

The 26th Conference of Ministers of Education resulted in the adoption of five resolutions:

• Resolution 1 on the renewal of the civic mission of education
• Resolution 2 on education in times of emergencies and crisis
• Resolution 3 on harnessing the potential of Artificial Intelligence in and through education
• Resolution 4 on the Council of Europe Education Strategy 2030 “Learners first – Education for today’s and tomorrow’s democratic societies”
• Resolution 5 on the establishment of a European Year of Digital Citizenship Education in 2025 in all Council of Europe member States

At the Conference Poland was represented by the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Poland to the Council of Europe, Ambassador Jerzy Baurski, and the Deputy Permanent Representative, Ms. Magdalena Marcinkowska.