This result is significant as various studies in Serbia reveal troubling trends among young people. They lack trust in institutions, feel marginalized, show little interest in social issues, and believe they have no influence over political decisions. Additionally, there is a growing radicalization of their views and an increase in authoritarian tendencies. The root of the problem lies in inadequate civic education. Twenty years after the introduction of Civic Education, the social context has evolved, but the subject has not been adjusted to meet these new challenges.
The analysis is the result of comprehensive research and discussions with teachers and students from five cities across Serbia. These conversations provided valuable insights into the perception and implementation of Civic Education in different regions.
For this analysis, a series of consultative meetings were held in five cities: Niš, Kragujevac, Belgrade, Užice, and Novi Sad. These meetings brought together civic education teachers from both secondary and elementary schools, as well as representatives from civil society organizations and student parliaments. Based on the insights and discussions from these meetings, we developed a policy brief titled “Analysis of the Effects of Civic Education and Proposed Measures for Improvement.”
The analysis can be downloaded on the following link.
The Zaječar Initiative is committed to making additional efforts to disseminate this document to relevant stakeholders in the field and to gather further valuable ideas and recommendations for practical measures to enhance civic education in the Republic of Serbia.