Towards Global Education in Slovenian schools?

More than 100 teachers, university professors, researchers, NGO and governmental representatives gathered on 17th November 2009 at the City Hall of Ljubljana in Slovenia where the seminar "With global education to global solidarity: building intercultural competencies and global citizenship in schools" took place. The seminar, organised by the Platform of Slovenian NGOs for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid SLOGA and supported by the North South Centre of the Council of Europe and the European Commission, focused on inclusion of global education into Slovenian formal and non-formal education. The introductory speaker - Slovenian minister of education dr. Igor Lukšič – emphasized the necessity of teaching youth values of solidarity, equality, justice, freedom as key values of global education. During two panels and three workshops, which also included international guest speakers from Great Britain, Czech Republic, Norway and the North South Centre, participants discussed why there is a need for global education in Slovenia, what is already included into the Slovenian school curricula, what could be improved and how, and what roles various stakeholders play in systematic inclusion of global education into school curricula.

Participants moved beyond differences in definitions of global education but emphasized that there is unclearness which leaves global education ‘hanging’ between Slovenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Slovenian Ministry of Education. A strong point was made on the necessity of including global education into school curricula as a horizontal dimension, which relates to all school subjects. It was mentioned that “global education is not an extra curricular but a cross-curricular activity”.

There was a clear recognition that a national strategy for global education is needed; and this topic was further elaborated in the workshop "Slovenian national strategy for Global Education". The workshop was also attended by various ministry representatives although unfortunately the representative from the Ministry of Education who had planned to attend this particular workshop had to be excused at the last minute. Nevertheless the initiative for a multistakeholder group was taken up and actions for its establishment were ageed which will hopefully lead to concrete steps in the year 2010.

Information provided by Barbara Vodopivec, SLOGA