The publication “Democratic Competences through a Cross-Curricular Approach”, a second volume of the “Guidelines for integration of RFCDC in selected subjects of national curricula”, is now available for teachers working in the formal education system as well as to all other education professionals who are interested in developing competences for democratic culture and the practical application of the whole school approach.

The publication, developed under the joint European Union/Council of Europe “Quality education for all” action was prepared by experts from the Institute for Improvement of Education, with support from partners from the Ministry of Education and Institute for Education Quality and Evaluation.

The new guidelines offer a robust roadmap for embedding democratic competences into formal education. Building on the success and conceptual idea of the first volume, this edition provides a detailed analysis of national curricula, focusing on cross-curricular approach while mapping connections to the RFCDC. New to this volume, is the unique approach that the experts from the Institute took, connecting the national curricula and RFCDC at the descriptor level. To make the teaching and learning impact more substantial, experts adapted the descriptors to make them even more suitable for the Serbian education system.

Subjects covered in the first volume have now been expanded and include Serbian Language and Literature, Mathematics, the World Around Us/Science and Society Basics, Foreign Language, History, Geography, Physics, Chemistry, Psychology, Digital World/Information Technology and Computing and Civic education. As per the new focus on VET education, the guidelines also include Entrepreneurship, the only subject taught in all VET schools in Serbia.

These resources position Serbia as a frontrunner in Europe for integrating the RFCDC, aligning with the country’s official 2030 education strategy. The guidelines and other resources created by the action are expected to empower teachers to create classrooms that foster critical thinking, civic engagement, and respect for democratic principles, ensuring Serbian students are well-prepared for active participation in society.

The action “Quality education for all” is part of the joint European Union and Council of Europe programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye”.