Brussels, 15/10/2009 (Agence Europe) - On 14 October, the European Commission presented a study which provides a detailed picture of the aims and objectives of arts education in Europe. It also includes information on pupil assessment and teacher education in the arts. The study, published as part of the activities of the European Year of Creativity and Innovation, covers full time compulsory education in 30 European countries (EU member states, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway). “Arts education favours the development of creative abilities by encouraging learners to experiment, express themselves, cooperate, overcome problems and take initiatives. Consequently, strengthening arts education for the development of our creative and innovative potential must be a core component of any education strategy for economic competitiveness, social cohesion and individual well-being,” European Commissioner for Education, Training, Culture and Youth Maroš Šefèoviè said.
The key findings of the study were: (1) the minimum taught time devoted to arts education is quite low, especially at lower secondary level. The most commonly taught art forms in schools are visual arts and music, which are compulsory parts of the arts curriculum in all countries. As far as all artistic areas are concerned, approximately half of the European countries dedicate between 50 and 100 hours per year to the arts at primary level. Two countries fall out of this range: Luxembourg, which provides up to 36 hours and Portugal, which provides up to 165 hours. At lower secondary level, the taught time is slightly lower, with around half of the countries dedicating approximately 25 to 75 hours per year to the arts; (2) in some countries, primary school teachers might not be trained to teach all art-forms included in the school curriculum. In most countries, primary school teachers delivering arts education teach all or most curriculum subjects. In the majority of countries, they receive training in more than one arts subject. However, in some countries, primary teachers might not have received appropriate education and training to teach all facets of the arts included in the curriculum; (3) ad hoc initiatives and extracurricular activities can help promoting arts education in schools. Many countries report initiatives and projects set up specifically to encourage arts education. In Belgium, Denmark, Ireland, Malta, the Netherlands, Austria and Norway, national organisations and networks have been specifically set up to promote arts and cultural education. In addition, many countries encourage schools and other organisations to provide extra-curricular arts activities. However, obstacles, particularly in terms of funding, might exist for pupils to access such activities. That is why national or local governments in Belgium, the Czech Republic, Spain, Italy, Latvia, Austria, Portugal and Finland provide full funding for or subsidise extra-curricular arts activities. The report is available at: http: //eurydice.org (I.L./transl.rt)