In staffrooms, classrooms and policy circles across Australia, conversations about education often centre on jobs, skills and economic growth – and rightly so. But there’s another, equally vital dimension that’s too often overlooked: preparing young people to actively participate in Australia’s democracy.
After all, a well-rounded education doesn’t just prepare young people for the workforce – it prepares them for citizenship by shaping how they think, how they engage, and how they participate in civic life.
Indeed, some of the most highly performing education systems in the world are also the healthiest democracies.
As Australia grapples with questions about curriculum, values and the future of schooling, experts are suggesting it’s time we put democracy back in focus.
One of them is Associate Professor Jorge Knijnik, a lecturer in Western Sydney University’s School of Education, who has been investigating the intersection between curriculum, democratic schooling, and youth political education in the Global South.
He says while Australian teachers have embraced diverse, student-centred pedagogies, recent top-down mandates are pushing uniform instructional methods, limiting flexibility and professional autonomy in the classroom.
“These actions clearly undermine democratic education and have been interfering even in Initial Teacher Education – a sole case of government interference in universities’ curricula that is not seen in other fields such as medicine and law,” Associate Professor Knijnik told The Educator.
“This is a concern for people who believe that democracy starts with democratic educational systems.”
In a meaningful education, every voice matters
When asked about the most positive insight he has gained so far from his research that all school leaders should know, Associate Professor Knijnik said it is that there is no such universal knowledge that can be applied across every single school.
“Each school has a specific context, and democratic leaders are the ones who try to establish dialogue with the community to understand this context and employ it to improve learning outcomes and community cohesion,” he said.
“As teachers shape their pedagogies, design learning sequences and carefully craft lesson plans tailored to the specific needs and characteristics of the students, school leaders can also try to establish conversational channels with their school communities to learn how better serve these communities.”
Associate Professor Knijnik noted that this does not mean losing their authority but using it to craft authentic democratic living experiences for their students and teachers.
Two uplifting experiences that Associate Professor Knijnik recently observed include deeply collaborative, community-rooted projects where students, educators, and partners became co-creators of knowledge, blending cultural tradition and scientific inquiry through mutual teaching and learning.
“A group of Physical Education teachers in Uruguay, led by their educational department leaders, collaborated with a local seniors’ club to discuss their teaching practices, and elaborate their own local pedagogical theories on how to teach traditional games to the children, hence transmitting their traditional culture to the new generations,” he said.
“The children then designed written and audio materials to show the community how they had interpreted and modified the games. Every single participant acted as both learner and teacher during this process.”
Speaking on the second uplifting experience he observed, Associate Professor Knijnik noted how the Powerhouse Museum has recently collaborated with a range of schools in Western Sydney to increase climate change awareness for high schoolers.
“Using student- led projects and collaboration with leading climate change academics from Western Sydney University, students developed projects to minimize the impacts of climate change and heat in their local communities and schools,” he said.
“This process was only possible because real dialogue was present in every single step of this amazing learning journey. Once again, all participants were learners and teachers during this learning voyage.”
Beyond the ballot: rethinking civics education
Associate Professor Knijnik said that while schools already teach young people about democratic participation as part of the civics and citizenship education/curricula, there are ways to boost a democratic life that goes far beyond the act of voting every three years.
“Democratic life cannot be taught by a single person, it needs to be learned in real-life experiences,” he said, adding that for K-3 students, schools could include small assemblies where children can discuss ideas and establish their rules and principles on issues that matter to them.
“This may include topics to research, books to read, games to play, activities to enjoy, uniforms and other important parts of their school’s life.”
They can also listen to other colleagues’ ideas and propose their own ideas in different ways, from face-to-face conversations to other models that can cater to children with different and special needs, Associate Professor Knijnik pointed out.
“It’s important that teachers and schools establish dialogical channels that go far beyond vertical instructive models where children just listen, but rather, construct pedagogical models and social opportunities where children are called to act.”
Associate Professor Knijnik said that older children in Years 4-8 can be called to participate in bigger school decisions.
“This can be in community councils where they are listened to, where everyone can present and discuss their ideas,” he said. “Children at these stages can take up and rotate leadership roles and learn how to discuss and present their proposals to enhance their schools and community’s life.”
Associate Professor Knijnik said one major pedagogy is to employ projects with children from a range of classrooms and grades that can come together to try to solve a relevant issue in their school.
“For example, this can be in heated areas where it is very hard to stay indoors/outdoors during summer or warm days,” he said. “These ideas can then be presented internally, and the whole group can use clear criteria to vote/decide on the ones that will move ahead to be implemented.”
Additionally, for students in Years 9-12, all students here could be encouraged to take up leadership positions, whether big ones (SRCs, captainships, etc) or representatives for smaller tasks within their own classrooms, said Associate Professor Knijnik.
“Importantly, it’s crucial to democratise how the SRCs work, as at the moment most of them are just tied to teachers’ leadership where students have little scope for having a real voice within the school’s structures. Students could be part of P&C meetings as well. “
Kids must engage with media critically, not just absorb it
Associate Professor Knijnik highlighted the importance of digital literacy programs ensuring that students engage with media critically rather than passively absorbing its narratives.
“I envisage these programs as intergenerational ones with librarians [both from schools and from local libraries] as key actors to enhance digital literacy,” he said. “As any literacy program, digital literacy is much bigger than learning the mechanics – the content needs to be associated with the act of reading and learning.”
Associate Professor Knijnik said the best way of doing this is by employing hands-on reflexive methods.
“I hear and I forget; I see and I remember; I do and I understand, says the ancient Chinese proverb,” he said.
“Off the top of my head, I remember the project by the Brazilian Landless movement, the web-enabled Landless Voices project, which has displayed the richness and complexity of the landless rural culture, and validated their self-cultural expression.”
Associate Professor Knijnik said this project helped people to revise their misconceptions about their world, to create new knowledge and develop new educational practices.
“Democracy isn’t just about politics – it’s a way of life that must be nurtured, protected, and renewed through education with each generation,” he said.
“A strong democracy goes beyond the ballot box. It thrives when people have multiple ways to actively participate in shaping their communities.”