Brussels, 20/09/2011 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 20 September, the European Commission presented a strategy for reforming higher education and reaching the objectives set out in the European strategy on employment and growth. Androulla Vassiliou, the European commissioner responsible for education, culture, youth and multilingualism, underlined the urgency of proceeding to reform, “so that we equip our young people with the skills they need to reach their potential in terms of development and employability”.
Over recent years, the number and diversity of higher education establishments, as well as the number of students, have increased considerably. On the other hand, funding, management structures and study programmes have not evolved at the same pace. Consequently, Europe does not currently have sufficient staff or adequate skills to create jobs, growth and trade, and is beginning to be overtaken by the emerging economies, which are rapidly increasing their investment in higher education. The strategy proposed by the Commission identifies priority areas in which EU countries should focus their efforts and find a way in which the European Union can support their modernisation policies.
It is imperative that reforms target the following objectives: (1) increase the number of graduates, bring more people into higher education (the EUROPE 2020 strategy set itself the objective of ensuring that at least 40% of European young people graduated from higher education by 2020) and reduce the level of early school leaving (to below 10%, according to the EUROPE 2020 strategy objectives); (2) improve the quality and appropriateness of higher education, so that study programmes respond to the needs of individuals, the labour market and future careers, and so that it stimulates and values excellence in education and research; (3) provide students with new opportunities for acquiring additional skills through studying or training abroad and encourage transnational cooperation in view of improving higher education performance; (4) train more researchers as a way of preparing the ground for the industries of tomorrow; (5) strengthen links between education, research and enterprise in an effort to promote excellence and innovation; (6) ensure efficiency of funding by conferring greater autonomy on higher education management and investing in quality education to respond to the needs of the labour market.
In addition to an expansion of European programmes and a more prominent role for structural funds, the Commission will develop new initiatives to support reform, Vassiliou announced. The Commission will, in particular, develop a new multidimensional information and classification tool for higher education establishments, in an effort to improve transparency. Rankings will evaluate universities on more comprehensive criteria than the current rankings that underlie research to the detriment of other factors. Rankings will be established by a consortium created by the end of the year following a call for tenders. The objective is to have an initial mapping and ranking of universities by 2013. The Commission will also develop a system for guaranteeing mobility loans for Erasmus Masters degrees, so that students obtain funding that allows them to study for a Masters degree abroad. Other measures envisaged include: improving information for identifying current and future labour market needs; creating a quality framework for improving training; developing the recognition of qualifications abroad and improving the current system of transferring credits; creating a strategy for internationalising higher education and making Europe attractive to foreign students; and improving the visas directive to enable greater mobility for students and teachers. (IL/transl.fl)