Why (and How) Schools Should Engage in Political Education

Abstract

Introduction: Political education is a loaded expression, and even more so when it is suggested that state authorities should be in charge of it. To many people, it will evoke indoctrination or even re-education camps. It is true that authoritarian states wanting to secure the obedience of their citizens have a strong incentive to shape their political beliefs, and this is often what political education organized by public authorities has looked like in the past and may look like nowadays. This grounds a legitimate concern towards any form of politicization or partisan instrumentalization of the educational system. Nevertheless, it is important to acknowledge that a form of publicly organized political education is also necessary in democratic contexts—and to understand what kind of political education is required.