EDUCATION AND DEMOCRACY

Abstract

This article addresses three questions: what is the precise relationship between democracy and education in the present times? What do we learn from the results of the latest international PISA survey on the state of democracy in the most advanced countries (the West)? Finally, what do the recent results of the elections in the United States reveal about the situation of democracy but also the needs in terms of education? The analysis shows that, at a time when economies are globalized and in the era of the knowledge and digital economy, it is necessary to rethink the role that education must play in relation to democracy. The analysis also shows that there is a risk of a decline in democracy in Western countries due to an increase in the number of young people with very low education and a decrease in those with an excellent education (i.e. the elite). Finally, the paper states that, in the face of rising nationalism and totalitarianism (particularly in the United States), raising the level of education of the population is certainly the best answer to be given.