Brussels, 15/02/2010 (Agence Europe) - The EU27 education ministers have adopted a joint report of the Council and the European Commission on the state of progress with the implementation of the working programme "Education and Training 2010". This report focuses on progress made by the member states over the period 2007-2009 in the objectives laid down in this field, particularly the eight key skills (communication in the mother tongue, communication in foreign languages, mathematical skills and basic scientific and technological skills, numeracy, "learning to learn", social and civic skills, entrepreneurship and initiative, cultural awareness and expression). "There is still work to be done, which has not yet been achieved", stressed Spanish Minister Ángel Gabilondo Pujol. "Instead of lamenting this fact, we intend to put forward proposals and see where we need to go in order to have a European area of education by 2020", he stressed.
The trends and stakes which have emerged are as follows: 1) an improvement in the results for education and training has been noted in general. However, most of the reference objectives laid down for 2010 will not be met within the stated time. Of greater concern is the fact that the results for the vital indicator of the mastery of reading and writing have actually fallen. It is vitally important that the member states make a particular effort in this field, taking account of the existing economic and social difficulties; 2) if adapting the school curricula to the criteria of excellence laid down by the member states has enjoyed a certain amount of success, there is much still to be done to develop the skills of the teachers, bring the assessment methods up to date and create a school environment more conducive to learning. One of the main stakes is to ensure that all students, including the very poorest, have the benefit of innovative methods; 3) the achievement of life-long education and training by means of formal, non-formal and informal learning and increasing mobility, continues to be a problem. In particular, universities must become increasingly open and do more to respond to the needs of the employment market and of society in general. Additionally, particular attention must be given to creating partnerships between the world of education and the world of work.
Among the areas to concentrate on over the coming decade, the report suggests boosting cooperation between the member states and applying the new strategic framework "Education and Training 2020", which was adopted in May 2009 and which re-focuses the objectives to be achieved, taking account of current challenges and the results of reforms underway in the member states since 2002. More specifically: 1) additional efforts are needed for the acquisition of key skills for pupils threatened with failure at school and social exclusion, particularly as regards a mastery of reading; 2) continual training must be reinforced to allow teachers and the heads of school establishments to acquire the teaching skills they need in a changing environment. It is also vital to make the teaching profession more attractive and give it greater support; 3) life-long learning, professional mobility, the link between the world of education and professional world also need to be reinforced; 4) more use must be made of partnerships between teaching and training establishments and external actors, such as the employment world; 5) targeted increases of investment, both at national and European level, must be adopted, in order to avoid jeopardising the reform objectives. (I.L./transl.fl)