Abstract
The article provides an analysis of citizenship education in the Czech schools with a special regard to participation of children at schools. For a better understanding of actual problems connected with realization of citizenship education, the text presents a brief history of citizenship education in today's Czech Republic and also summarizes conditions for successful citizenship education in general.
Although citizenship education, which aims to improve democratic values, is enshrined in the national curriculum, which makes it in some form compulsory for every child, actual results of Czech pupils are not satisfactory. An international comparison reveals that their knowledge is slightly above the average, but their skills and attitudes are deeply below the average.
Although schools are provided with freedom in the ways of teaching citizenship education, they mostly teach it in special lessons, only about half of the schools gives their children an opportunity to experience democracy in the school life and very rarely teachers involve pupils in activities out of school. The topic is marginalized on both school and national level, and much of the needed support for teachers willing to teach citizenship education in a participative way is provided by non-profit organizations that are not systematically supported and struggle with their own existence.
Curricular documents declare the importance of education for democratic citizenship quite strongly, the situation at school is however not so bright.