03 jun University of the Aegean – Greece
Student Communities and Student Councils: A stage for Active Citizenship
Citizenship education has become a priority of European educational policy, influencing the national educational priorities and reforms of EU member states. The philosophy behind these policies is to foster students’ awareness of citizenship and enhance their competence to be active citizens; in other words, to prepare them to actively participate and engage in both the micro and macro systems of their lives.
In Greece, the educational reforms over the last two decades have emphasized citizenship education, while various school practices and policies at the national level are supportive of the idea of active citizenship, allowing students to actively participate at the class, school, and community levels.
Student communities and student councils are an excellent example of promoting active citizenship in schools. The student communities function as “a cell of democratic life” in which all students participate equally. The regulations on school communities’ operation have been officially set by the Ministerial Decision No. 23.613/6/Γ2/4094/23-9-1986 and are widely applied to all Greek schools. These regulations ensure that all students, through democratic processes and dialogue, cooperate with teachers and school administration, pay attention to problems that impact them and their community, search for solutions to them, and actively participate in collective school life. The ultimate goal of this institution is to develop students’ responsibility and raise their awareness of their rights and responsibilities as equal members of the school community.
The decisions of school communities are made collectively and democratically. Specifically, there are two decision-making bodies: the body of the General Assembly, where all students from each class participate equally, and the five-member council, which comprises five democratically elected members.
It is interesting to consider how many activities, including sporting events, clubs for culture and entertainment, school newspapers, scientific, educational, and lecture series, debates, poetry or music evenings, conferences, exhibitions, theater, and other events, can be initiated and started by school communities through democratic decision-making with the support and final approval of the school administration. Together with the teachers’ council, the ministerial decision also assigns students an active role in overseeing the cleanliness and quality of service in the student cafeterias.
The function of school communities and councils in Greece suggests that they are exceptional stages for promoting active citizenship. Students, as active members of their community, learn and practice key skills related to active citizenship, such as cooperation and teamwork, communication, problem-solving, and respect for others. They can raise their active voice on issues that affect their community, seek and offer solutions through democratic means. School communities are a miniature of our democratic society, motivating students to take action and develop the necessary competencies for their adult life.
Written by Vana Chiou