Citizenship in education: noticeable, not measurable

In recent years, citizenship has gained a permanent place on the education agenda. No wonder: the theme goes to the heart of our times and of education itself. Young people learn to live together, to deal with differences and to take responsibility for themselves and for society. In a time of polarisation, digital disinformation and social tensions, it is becoming increasingly clear how essential it is for pupils to grow into involved citizens.

Citizenship is no longer an ‘extra’, but a statutory duty. Since August 2021, schools in primary and secondary education are obliged to pay structural attention to this theme. Schools are still allowed to set their own course, but are given more guidance in doing so.

Per 1 September 2025 core objectives for citizenship and digital literacy have been officially delivered by SLO as final draft core targets. These apply to primary education, lower secondary education and (secondary) special education. They give schools a sharper focus on what pupils should know, be able to do and experience. Legislation to formalise these core objectives has been initiated by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, which will eventually make them legally binding.

In short: the frameworks are becoming clearer so that schools can translate the goals into their own educational practice. But how is citizenship currently being fleshed out within school walls?

We spoke to a panel of school leaders and upper school coordinators in primary education and history and social studies teachers in secondary education about this in recent months. Their experiences and views provide an interesting picture of where things stand today.

Primary schools see themselves as a training ground for society: a mini-society. Citizenship is therefore mainly interpreted pedagogically in primary education. It is mainly about learning to live together: dealing with each other, resolving conflicts and taking responsibility for the group and how to involve pupils in the school community. Citizenship lessons are lived rather than taught, for instance through children's councils, project weeks or local initiatives such as a visit to the food bank.

“Learning by doing, with heart and hands.”

In addition, primary school teachers are looking for more footing. There is often no clear continuous learning line or common structure. Opinions differ on a method: a method can serve well as a steppingstone, but it should not limit autonomy. What the panel does agree on is that citizenship should above all be noticeable in attitude and behaviour, and not measurable in grades or tests.

“We learn citizenship by doing, not by filling in a workbook.”

In secondary education, citizenship is mainly about dialogue, awareness and critical thinking. Teachers try to show students that there are always multiple perspectives. “You don't teach students an opinion - you teach them to think about opinions.”

Citizenship is mainly reflected in subjects such as social studies, philosophy and history. There is also room for practice: teachers organise guest lessons, local trips or external projects.

How citizenship is reflected in classroom practice depends mostly on the initiative and commitment of individual teachers, their available time and lesson objectives.

A school-wide approach is still lacking. It is now often unclear who is responsible for this topic within the school. Learning objectives are not yet sufficiently concrete and time is scarce. As a result, citizenship sometimes feels non-committal. As one teacher put it: “In maths, you know what to teach. With citizenship, it often remains just good intentions.”

In secondary education, there is a clear need for structure, coordination as well as clear frameworks.

Not only the school, but also parents have a big role to play when it comes to citizenship. Themes such as religion, diversity and inclusiveness can be sensitive. According to the panel, parents have a lot of influence on which topics are or are not discussable. Their involvement is therefore an important factor in practice. This is true in primary education, but even more emphatically in secondary education.

Citizenship is ‘alive’ in the classroom, on the playground and in dialogue with pupils. The theme is abundantly present, but often remains implicit and dependent on loose initiatives. Schools are highly motivated, but without structure, vision and support it is a difficult task to give shape to at school. At the same time, citizenship is difficult to measure in scores or tests.

In short: citizenship is already there, but it requires a school-wide approach: more structure, recognisability and connection to really come into its own.