Throughout the summer, 240 teachers including pre-school, grades 1-4 and grades 5-8 teachers, attended the “Training of Trainers” on competences for democratic culture (CDC), to be able to promote them in their respective schools. Some of the sessions focused on professional development to equip the participants with tools and advice for training fellow teachers.

As a follow-up to the summer trainings, over 25 cascade training seminars are being held in the project’s 10 pilot provinces from September 11 to October 3. These trainings will help a further 3000 teachers from 110 pilot schools to understand the CDC Framework and its related education materials.

Among these materials, teachers have the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the Whole School Model, developed with the support of the Project, which aims to introduce the CDC to the whole school and its community and complement the work done in the classroom. The Model includes aspects such as school climate and governance, and family and community links. The participation of all stakeholders is one of the project’s key principles as it allows for a positive school climate to be established and facilitates incorporation of the CDC.

The aim of the joint EU/CoE Project “Strengthening Democratic Culture in Basic Education”, implemented by the Ministry of National Education and the Council of Europe, is to instil a democratic school culture of universal core values and human rights in Turkey’s education system.