Citizenship education curriculum in basic schools in the Czech Republic: A competency-based approach to educational content

Highlights: - 2024 curriculum revision. - Concept of educational content. - Transformations of cross-curricular topics. - Critical reflection on the Framework Educational Programme for Basic Education (FEP BE). - Higher education of teachers with an emphasis on competencies. Purpose: The aim of the article is to analyse the citizenship education curriculum within the Czech education system, to describe its development since the introduction of the framework educational programmes (FEPs), and to provide a critical evaluation of the 2024 revision of the FEP BE. At the same time, the article discusses the relationship between curriculum reform and changes in undergraduate teacher training in the Czech Republic. Approach: The authors employ an analytical and comparative approach based on the analysis of curricular documents, legislative frameworks and scholarly literature. They compare the original curricular concept of the FEP BE from 2005 with subsequent revisions and with the current revised curriculum from 2024, while also interpreting their implications for the teaching of citizenship education and for teacher training. Findings: The analysis indicates that the development of the curriculum has been moving towards a markedly competency-based approach to education and towards a reduction in explicitly defined educational content. The new 2024 curriculum simplifies the structure of citizenship education, reduces the number of thematic areas and expected learning outcomes, and strengthens school autonomy. At the same time, however, questions arise concerning the specificity of educational content, the balance between knowledge and competencies, and the practical implementation of these changes in school practice. Research limitations: The limitations lie primarily in the analytical nature of the study, which is based chiefly on documents and scholarly discussions rather than on empirical data concerning curriculum implementation in school practice. Moreover, the revised FEP BE is currently in a pilot phase, and its actual impact on teaching and on pupils’ educational outcomes can only be assessed once it has been fully implemented in practice.