A new syllabus for a Masters-level postgraduate module entitled “Developing Competences for Democratic Culture - Culture, Identity and Intercultural learning” has been published offering teacher education institutions a practical resource to strengthen democratic and inclusive education. Developed within the Quality Education for All action by Dr Michalis Kakos of Leeds Beckett University (UK) and Dr Svetlana Lazić of the Preschool Teacher Training College Novi Sad (Serbia), the syllabus places intercultural learning at the heart of democratic education.
It focuses on culture, identity, and intercultural learning and is designed to be adaptable by teacher education institutions in Serbia and across Europe.
The syllabus directly supports the implementation of the Council of Europe’s Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture (RFCDC) while aiming to renew public commitment to democratic values and intercultural dialogue. The authors affirm the essential role of Education in safeguarding young people’s right to quality, transformative education. They view such education as inherently democratic, critical, liberal, and optimistic in outlook.
A distinctive feature of the module is its starting point: rather than beginning with large-scale ethnic, religious, or national differences, it first examines the “silent diversity” embedded in everyday small cultures - friendship groups, neighbourhoods, and families. This approach directs attention to students’ ongoing processes of differentiation, individuality, and internal enrichment of identity, rather than solely to needs for belonging.
By grounding intercultural education in these lived experiences, the syllabus seeks to equip teachers with tools to build programmes that genuinely value diversity. The module aims to foster teachers’ confidence in using students’ everyday identity construction as the basis for intercultural learning celebrating difference, encouraging cultural curiosity, and challenging simplistic assumptions about social cohesion. In doing so, it promotes critical reflection on culture and identity. The syllabus is now available for adaptation, offering teacher educators a practical resource to strengthen democratic intercultural education at classroom level.
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”.
