Brussels, 18/09/2012 (Agence Europe) - On 18 September, the European Commission kicked off the work of a high level group on modernising higher education. The challenge is big - young people need to be equipped with the competences required by the employment market, and offered attractive and quality higher education. This is a step that is all the more delicate as member states are confronted with having to reduce their spending in numerous sectors due to the economic crisis. The Commission presses home that the education sector, and in particular that of higher education, cannot be the subject of drastic budget cuts as the education sector is crucial for developing the knowledge and know-how that Europe needs to compete in the global economy. Indeed, currently member states are still not investing enough in modernising their systems and very few member states take initiatives to develop education based on quality. The Commission hopes that the high level working group will unlock creative solutions that are able to encourage the member states to take the necessary steps. “With the help of the high level group I want to ensure that every student, regardless of where they live or study in Europe, will benefit from excellent teaching. This is a pre-condition for innovation, jobs and growth”, said the commissioner for education and training, Androulla Vassiliou. “Our group will examine how to nurture excellent teaching in our universities so that our young people receive the best education and the best possible employment prospects”, added Mary McAleese, former President of Ireland, who will chair the group. McAleese hopes that the recommendations the group will formulate will be able to persuade decision-makers to invest in effective higher education.
Vassiliou reminded her audience at the press conference that by 2020, 35% of jobs will require a higher education qualification. Currently only 26% of the EU workforce is in possession of such a qualification. It is for this reason that the Commission has set the objective of reaching 40% higher education graduates in 2020. Yet this figure is not enough as it is also necessary to count on a quality education so as to encourage young people to stay in the higher education loop and broaden their professional horizons, Vassiliou said. Tackling the question of the fees that more and more establishments demand of their students - thus jeopardising equal access to education, Vassiliou said that if the fees can be justified to compensate ever greater costs in this time of crisis, they must be compensated through grants or loans at extremely low interest rates, to the advantage of the most financially deprived students.
The mandate of the high level group will last for three years, coming to an end in 2015. Over this time it will examine the ways of best promoting excellence in education and adapting teaching to the digital age, using information that it will garner from higher education experts, government bodies, the business world and also teachers and students. It will record best practice and creative solutions, and will formulate recommendations for political decision-makers and those in universities and national and European higher education establishments. An initial report will be published in 2013. The launch of the group takes place within a more global strategy of modernising the higher education sector in the member states. The Commission welcomes progress already made on this - on the one hand, the Bologna Process, which has enabled students to study abroad more easily and have their qualifications recognised throughout Europe and, on the other hand, the European multidimensional university ranking system, which will be published during the first half of 2013 and should facilitate comparison between universities, enabling students to make better informed decisions about where to study. (IL/transl.fl)