On Processes of Change and Clinging to Tradition

Since the end of the 1980s, the systems of education and culture in Eastern and South Eastern Europe have been undergoing a fundamental process of transformation.

Rapidly changing economic and political conditions, accompanied by a scarcity of economic resources and labour, have led to far-reaching changes in the sectors of education and culture, immediately after the breakdown of the socialist systems and today as well. These dynamic processes of change are occurring not only in the so-called transformation countries; they are also the manifestation of a general development in Europe and beyond it. Against the background of globalisation, technological progress and crisis-laden developments in terms of the economy, the environment and society, an adequate structural shift is needed today in all European education systems. Educational and cultural landscapes are undergoing increasing pressure to adapt to current conditions, and there is a serious need for quality assurance and innovation if the new challenges of a knowledge-based society are to be met.
KulturKontakt Austria has been working for 20 years in the fields of cultural and educational cooperation with Eastern and South Eastern Europe and thus has considerable experience and expertise in dealing with processes of change in transformation societies. Against this backdrop, the first theme evening focussed on the chances and the possibilities for development inherent in these processes of change.
The evening was moderated by Armin Medosch. The panel members Slavko Gaber, keynote speaker, education researcher and former minister of education and science of the Republic of Slovenia; Monika Mott, KKA department head; and Nenad Popović, publisher and translator, presented their positions, taking into account the following key questions: If, under financially difficult conditions, “transformation” becomes a chronic state of affairs, what are the consequences for educational and cultural institutions, as well as for the persons who work there? The pressure to change brings opportunities – where do these lie in the fields of education and culture, and how can they used to the greatest benefit? Has the transformation experience in the area of education and culture in Eastern and South Eastern Europe taught us lessons that can be helpful in dealing with the current crisis?
A considerable part of the general discussion centred on what Slavko Gaber had said about the need for more general education instead of more specialised training, as well as on Gaber’s conviction that a balance between leisure time and work needs to be restored or newly developed and that society’s overall approach to the work ethic has to be revised. Another line of discussion dealt with creativity and innovation, which, on the one hand, are being increasingly called for by a variety of players, while, on the other hand, their realisation is still being hindered by bureaucratic obstacles. One example of this is the fact that the way time is structured in the schools offers only limited possibilities for more creativity. It was agreed that a shift in thinking has to occur in order to enable a transition to a sustainability-oriented society. This must begin in the schools. The teacher’s role, too, has to change if the necessary paradigm shift in today’s information society is to be accomplished.