Recent Developments in Education in Central and Eastern Europe

Abstract

The political, structural, and economic reforms undertaken in this region after 1989 produced some rapid and thorough changes, especially in the area of education. Education is increasingly regarded as an institution of social change and political, economic, and social renewal. The path taken by these reforms in education leads us to reconsider their aims in accordance with new philosophical ideas, the evolution of values, as well as the particular contexts and traditions of each country. It also induces us to seek a new type of relationship between the school and society, a new and broader form of partnership, so as to contribute to the creation of an environment more favorable to the practice of democracy and the exercise of individual initiative and responsibility. The complexity of situations, their extremely rapid evolution and the varying pace of change, as well as different educational traditions throughout the history of this country, mean that any attempt to systematize and generalize is risky. Nonetheless, it is possible to formulate certain reservations concerning the region as a whole. The first concern that appeared after the major political, economic, and social changes was to depoliticize education and training; to introduce more democracy and autonomy; and to bring the needs of the market and employment more into line with one another.