Brussels, 01/03/2012 (Agence Europe) - The European Parliament committee on education and culture has adopted the report by Laszlo Tokes (EPP, Romania) on modernising higher education systems in Europe by 25 votes in favour, 2 against and 2 abstentions. The report recommends sustainable financing for higher education, which is essential for modernisation and for its adjustment to the labour market, and places emphasis on mobility, which must be encouraged.
In the current economic context, universities must upgrade and modernise techniques and teaching programmes in order to adjust what they offer to the skills required on the labour market. They must extend this to older students and students with increasingly varied profiles, MEPs say. The academic world must, moreover, cooperate closely with industry and local authorities via joint programmes and active partnerships. The report also highlights the heightened need for funding, both public and private. MEPs suggest that the European Social Fund and the European Regional Development Fund should also be used for the development of university infrastructure and for teaching personnel. Considering that mobility remains key to the success of higher education, the report underlines the importance of Erasmus for industry, which supports trainee courses abroad. An adequate funding system of all mobility programmes is also suggested. Finally, given that only 200 out of the 4,000 European universities rank among the top 500 worldwide, MEPs consider that a new multi-dimensional instrument of classification should be established by the Commission, taking into account the quality of teaching, student support services, regional commitment and the transfer of knowledge. The report will be discussed and adopted in plenary during April. (IL/transl.jl)