Brussels, 12/04/2005 (Agence Europe) - In follow-up to the Lisbon and Barcelona summits (2000 and 2002), the European Commission published it annual Staff Working Paper on 11 April entitled: “Progress towards the Lisbon Objectives in Education and Training - Report 2005”. In its second edition, it analyses the performances of 30 education and training systems in Europe, using 29 indicators identified and endorsed by experts from the countries concerned. Results show that:
1) The high number of early school leavers is an obstacle to securing greater social cohesion in the EU. In 2004, nearly 16% of young people aged between 18 and 24 in the EU left school early placing themselves in danger of being on the fringes of the knowledge society. The Council had called for this rate to be reduced to 10% by 2010. Although some progress had been achieved since 2000, it is essential for most Member States to make a greater effort to attain this goal.
2) An adequate supply of scientists is crucial for a competitive knowledge-based economy. The Council has set two objectives: to bring about a 15% increase in the number of graduates in these fields by 2010 and at the same time to redress the imbalance between men and women. The best performing countries with regard to mathematics, science and technology graduates per 1000 population aged 20-29 are: Ireland, France and United Kingdom, while Poland, Slovakia and Spain are the countries with the strongest growth in these fields.
3) Individuals must update and complement their knowledge, competencies and skills throughout life through participation in lifelong learning. The rate of adult participation in education and training in 2004 reached 9.4% in the EU, i.e. 1.5% higher than in 2000. The objective set by the Council of achieving a 12.5% rate of adult participation requires Member States to develop an integrated, coherent and inclusive lifelong learning strategy.
4) The EU needs to attract more than one million teachers to the teaching profession over the next ten years. The high proportion of older teachers in school education in the EU implies that, within the period 2005-2015, more than one million teachers in Europe will have to be replaced. High-quality initial teacher training, in conjunction with a process of continuous professional development, is necessary to equip the teaching body with skills and competencies for its role in the knowledge society over the coming decades.
5) Most EU pupils do not reach the objective of proficiency in at least two foreign languages. According to 2002 data, an overage of only 1.3 and 1.6 foreign languages per pupil were taught in the Member States in general lower- and upper- secondary education respectively. Major efforts will have to be made by most countries in order to reach the objective of a European language level of at least two foreign languages taught to all. (Information: http: //http://www.europe.eu.int/comm/education/policies/2010/back_gen_en.htm ).