Meeting on Tuesday 21 January in Warsaw (Poland) for the first day of their informal meeting, European Union Member State education ministers worked on the topic of ‘Promoting equity and opportunity: the challenges of inclusive education’.
During the introductory statements, the Polish Minister of Education, Barbara Nowacka, who chaired the discussions, stated that the aim of education was not only to develop skills, but also to cultivate values and critical thinking in order to prepare young people to meet today’s societal challenges.
In her view, the focus should be on equitable access to quality education for all pupils, regardless of their differences or specific needs.
With this in mind, Roxana Mînzatu, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission responsible for Social Rights and Skills, Quality Jobs and Preparedness, has identified education as a key vehicle for promoting European values and social cohesion.
The ‘Skills Union’ will provide a strategic framework to support educational reforms, which must also respond to the imperatives of competitiveness, basic skills and inclusion.
Slovenia’s Secretary of State for Education, Jana Zupančič, called for wider recognition of education as a core value of the European Union. “Education must be the foundation of active citizenship, social progress and Europe’s competitiveness”, she said.
In her view, the way forward lies in developing education policies that promote cross-disciplinary skills, inclusion and democratic commitment.
Finally, the Director of the European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education, Joao Costa, called for investment in proactive education policies, for flexible and preventive education systems capable of responding to diverse needs.
And, in his view, it is necessary to start at the earliest possible age, with early education and equipping teachers to respond to the growing diversity of pupils’ needs.
He supported the idea of better use of technology and cross-sectoral data collection, integrating education, health and social policies. Collaboration between schools, families and social services is also recommended.
“Inclusion is not just a question of social justice, but also a strategic choice to strengthen cohesion and reduce long-term costs”, he said. (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)