Brussels, 04/11/2008 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 3 November 2008, the European Commission launched new Comenius Regio lifelong learning partnerships to encourage cooperation among local and regional authorities, teaching establishments and other educational centres in Europe. Comenius Regio was launched by EU Education Commissioner Jan Figel and Keith Walters, Vice-President of the Committee of the Regions' culture, education and research committee, at a conference at the CoR headquarters in Brussels. The objective was to unveil the new initiative, discuss a European Commission report on European education cooperation programme, and to exchange views on the perspectives for regional cooperation in school education. “I am pleased to be able to add Comenius Regio to the toolbox for promoting understanding among our youngsters in Europe. This action will help satisfy the demand that exists among educational authorities for facilitating cross-border cooperation among schools in Europe,” said Figel. “All over Europe, regions and local authorities are responsible for education policies. Comenius will provide them with financial support and practical tools for the exchange of best practices. The Committee of the Regions fully supports this outstanding initiative,” explained the president of the Committee of the Regions, Luc Van den Brande.
With an annual budget of €16 million, these partnerships will provide financial backing for school education cooperation programmes, and encourage the exchange of experience and best practice between regions and municipalities in Europe in order to expand the range of education for school age children. Two regions can cooperate with each other and make a free choice of the domain in which they wish to work. They may, for example, act on school management issues, improving the integration of immigrant children, training and entrepreneurship, or reducing school dropout levels. Projects must be extended to schools and other competent stakeholders in the region or municipality like youth clubs, libraries and museums. A vast range of activities can be considered for Comenius Regio projects, ranging from the exchange of teaching staff to the organisation of study visits via joint teacher training exercises, explains the Commission. Various other activities can also be carried out in the regions in question, like surveys, trials of new educational approaches and awareness raising campaigns.
The deadline for the lodging of funding applications by local and regional school authorities is 20 February 2009. The selection of projects will be completed in the summer of 2009 and the selected projects will be able to get started in August 2009. Funding will be granted for two years to cover travel costs between the two partner regions and the project activities per se. The Commission is expecting to fund around 500 regions under Comenius Regio. (I.L./transl.fl)