Brussels, 20/05/2014 (Agence Europe) - In Brussels on Tuesday 20 May, during a debate organised by the Greek Presidency at a formal Council session, education ministers highlighted the imperative of preserving quality in cross-border education. They also thought it necessary to set up a European platform to guarantee this quality. While member states and the European Union have obtained some experience in student mobility, this is not the case for cross-border education, which provides many advantages but just as many challenges, said Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou, responsible for education. She said there were still many shortcomings to be addressed to ensure that students are able to benefit from a high-quality system, with the central element being the quality of curricula and certification for all levels of elementary, higher and vocational education. The Greek minister for education and religion, Athanasios Kyriazis, said that many member states have already introduced bilateral education agreements with other member states or third countries, as demonstrated by the debate. He was delighted that “we have now managed to more clearly define what we need to do in the education field in the future. This was a thorough debate… which will help develop our future reflections”.
Cross-border education and training is a new phenomenon linked to globalisation. For those providing education and training, such as universities and higher education colleges, it is travelling to other countries to provide study programmes there. This can be in the form of traditional courses, with teachers who teaching in front of students or through digital and online resources or by a combination of the two, “blended learning”. The main challenge involved in this new kind of teaching in all member states is quality. Many member states have already concluded education partnerships with other countries and the respective national agencies are, more or less successfully, examining the quality of programmes and certification. During the debate, ministers and government representatives called for more co-operation among the national agencies responsible for quality control when assessing and providing certification for these new kinds of learning. This collaboration is required so that quality criteria demands are the same and that diplomas are recognised in all countries. Ministers and representatives would also like the European Union and the Commission to support efforts by member states and the EU to continue its reflection on this aspect of education and continue to promote useful tools such as the university rating system, U-Multirank, which has just come out.
Upstream of the debate, the Council adopted conclusions on “ensuring the quality of support for education and training”. In these conclusions, it draws up the balance sheet of the quality guarantee initiatives that have already been adopted in higher education sectors, teaching and vocational training. The conclusions also looked at how quality guarantee mechanisms could be elaborated in other education and training sectors, such as schools, learning in the workplace and non-formal education. Promoting quality in all sectors of the education and training system is a major priority for all member states. Quality and transparency are indispensable not only at a national level but also at a European level, given that increasing numbers of students are taking part in cross-border mobility programmes, particularly those financed by the new Erasmus+ programme, underline the conclusions. (IL)