Brussels, 14/02/2011 (Agence Europe) - While member states may be convinced of the need to overhaul and modernise their education systems, many are over-cautious when it comes to making sure they have the means to achieve their aims, for example, by increasing the money spent on education and training. After the latest Education Council meeting in Brussels on Monday 14 February, Commissioner for Education and Training Androulla Vassiliou said that the first drafts of national reform programmes, which are supposed to contribute to achieving the goals of the EUROPE 2020 strategy, will not be enough to make the two major education objectives proposed by the European Commission. She also regretted that some member states were maintaining the budget cuts in this sector which is crucial for growth. “We call on member states to stick to the objectives in their national programmes, but in many case, these programmes do not show enough ambition”, she said.
On Monday morning, education ministers held a discussion on the observations on education and training contained in the Annual Growth Survey carried out by the European Commission. In the light of the progress report on EUROPE 2020, they also gave their views on whether it will be possible to achieve the two major objectives in education set in the EUROPE 2020 strategy: 1) reducing the rate of early school leaving to below 10% (it currently stands at 14.4%); 2) increasing the proportion of 30-34 year-olds who have completed tertiary education or equivalent to at least 40% (it is currently 33%). In their observations, ministers all highlighted the importance of putting in place lifelong learning and training systems that are modern and suited to the demands of the labour market, lifelong learning and training which is now crucial with people being required to work longer in a labour market ever more demanding in terms of skills. They made clear their commitment to reducing early school leaving and to increasing the number of graduates, though some prefer to base their action on their national situation rather than work towards quantified objectives. Particular attention was paid to training for young people, who are the ones most affected by unemployment, and to the training of teachers, who are pivotal to the success of the necessary reforms. Ministers also discussed other priorities, such as encouraging mobility (of teachers and students), improving education for students from disadvantaged groups to prevent their dropping out of school, establishing closer links between education and the labour market, and promoting creativity and entrepreneurship. Short-term measures are required but they must be backed up by long-term initiatives; and at the same time, investment at all levels of education and training has to be maintained in the hope of reaching the Commission goals, said Hungarian Education Minister Rózsa Hoffman after the meeting. She acknowledged, however, that “it is unlikely that the Commission objectives will be reached in national reform programmes”. “But we're preparing for the fray. We have the EUROPE 2020 strategy objectives and that is what we are aiming for”, she went on optimistically. Hungary will now summarise the positions of the various delegations in a report to be put to heads of state or government, who will identify the objectives they deem to be legitimate and essential. Commissioner Vassiliou took the opportunity officially to present the Commission's flagship initiative “Agenda for new skills and jobs: a European contribution towards full employment” which is part of the EUROPE 2020 strategy and which, just like the Youth in Action initiative, has serious implications for the education and training sector. (I.L./transl.rt)