The experience of ten schools in Kosovo in their participatory democratic development has been published as final contribution of the project Experience Democracy in Schools Now (EDISON).
We are happy to announce the publication of EDISON Experience Democracy in Schools Now: Local Democratic School Development, capturing the outcomes of a four-year initiative aimed at enhancing democratic practices in Kosovo’s educational institutions. The publication is the result of the project Experience Democracy in Schools Now (EDISON), which ran from January 2020 to December 2023, involving ten schools across Kosovo.
The project was designed to advance participatory democratic principles within schools, using a five-step process that incorporated global best practices for democratic development. The ten schools in the project worked through a dynamic cycle of agenda-setting, deliberation, action, evaluation, and restarting to foster inclusivity, transparency, and civic engagement in the education system.
The newly released publication offers practical materials, tools, and reflections on the democratic processes implemented by the schools. It serves as a guide for educators, school principals, and education authorities on how to promote participatory governance and democratic development within schools. Designed to be accessible and actionable, the text provides concrete examples and methodologies for school-based implementation, including the use of students‘ clubs, direct democracy practices, and positive communication strategies. It also shares lessons learned and the challenges faced during the project, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and teacher strikes.
Funded by the Community Fund of the Canton of Zurich and implemented by the Department for International Projects in Education of the Zurich University of Teacher Education in partnership with the Kosova Education Center (KEC), the EDISON project, which was coordinated locally by Veton Sylhasi, has contributed to shaping a more democratic, participatory school environment in Kosovo. The publication aims to inspire further educational reforms both locally and internationally, with a focus on sustainability and community involvement, ensuring that democratic development continues to thrive long after the project’s conclusion.
EDISON Experience Democracy in Schools Now: Local Democratic School Development is available for free in English and Albanian on the IPE-Textbooks web platform.
