The Importance of Democratic Education

An educated population has long been considered as a key precondition for a stable democratic system.  But what are the goals of education?  Which is the best education model? I would like to talk about the importance of democratic education at universities. I  strongly believe that universities prepare the   intellectual elites, the most talented youth, those, who one day  will hold the future of their  country in the hands.  In my view, universities should not only teach   facts and figures, but should  also  prepare  every student  to be an active citizen able to  participate fully in a country’s democratic and political life. 

I think  that  universities  should incorporate more  democratic values into the teaching  process. Continuous discussions,  vigorous  participation in  various  activities and collaborative work should be the basis of the learning process. There are still  many universities where  old fashioned autocratic  education   models prevails. University  teachers simply dictate the text and students write it down without thinking. When exams come, students  have to   learn massive amounts of information   by heart like a poem. In my view, this education  model  has numerous drawbacks.   Firstly, it does not teach students to think critically by  questioning  what a  teacher says.  However, critical thinking is crucial for a citizen who wants to   participate actively  in a daily political life and  judge the actions of politicians. It is also  wrong to consider a teacher   as a master of the class, the only one who knows the „truth“.  In many disciplines, especially in social sciences, the „truth“ can only be find in a discussion. At university students should firstly learn how to present their arguments, respect different opinions and show the initiative, because these are the rules of life in a democratic society.

Universities should prepare students who could  understand  not only the narrow scope of their specialization, but also would be able to analyse the daily political and  economic realities. Even those young people who study engineering or maths should have a few  obligatory courses on sustainable development, economics and politics, so that they  could know what to say on the issues that affect their country and the world.