Migration and Education - EUNEC Statement

EUNEC discussed the new challenges for migration and education together with experts and representatives of stakeholders from the member countries in Larnaca, Cyprus in October 2012. Olympia Stylianou, secretary general of the Cyprus Ministry of Education and Culture, welcomed about 50 participants coming from 14 European countries and from Québec.

EUNEC formulates recommendations at policy level as well as at class and school level. 

A shift in thinking is needed.  Our fundamental view about diversity and education denies diversity as a starting point; we have to move away from the deficit approach that devalues diversity to a problem, and work towards a  consensus in society where diversity and migration are not automatically seen as a problem but rather as an asset.

EUNEC expresses its concern that, in times of crisis, the most vulnerable groups should not suffer most.

(from the EUNEC Newsletter)

Read the full pdf here: http://www.eunec.eu/sites/www.eunec.eu/files/attachment/files/statements_0.pdf

Council conclusions on education and training in Europe 2020 – the contribution of education and training to economic recovery, growth and jobs

Press release of the 3201st EDUCATION, YOUTH, CULTURE and SPORT Council meeting (Brussels, 26 and 27 November 2012)

The Council adopted the following conclusions:

The World Education Forum

The mission of the World Education Forum is to increase the number of children which do gain access to education by influencing National Policy decision-making on a global scale.
The mission of the World Education Forum is to increase the number of children which do gain access to education by influencing National Policy decision-making on a global scale. 

High Quality European Education for All

MEET-Movement for a European Education Trust wants to strengthen and accelerate the development of a European dimension in education at school level. MEET members believe it is time for a new educational paradigm aimed at building a Europe from the ground up and providing equal access to all its citizens who request it. On 9 May 2012, Europe Day, MEET submitted its proposal for a European Citizens' Initiative on a High Quality European Education for All to the European Commission. 16 July 2012: “A High Quality European Education for All” became the 8th European Citizens’ Initiative officially registered by the European Commission.

Pestalozzi Programme of the Council of Europe

The PESTALOZZI Programme is the Council of Europe programme for the professional development of teachers and education actors. It bases its work on the standards and reference texts of the Council of Europe, such as recommandations and conventions. It also produces training and teaching resources. 
You will find in this section the relevant reference texts and publications as well as the pedagogical resources and reports that result from the various training activities.

Code of Good Practice for Civil Participation

(Council of Europe document)


The involvement of NGOs in the different steps of the political decision-making process  varies based on the intensity of participation. There are four gradual levels of participation, from least to most participative. These are: information; consultation; dialogue; and partnership.

The Code offers a repertoire of good practices. It  does not have a mandatory character, does not prescribe rules, or require enforcement mechanisms. It offers all actors in the democratic process guidelines stemming from concrete practical experience of dialogue and co-operation between NGOs and public authorities. The final aim is to facilitate their interaction and to enhance citizens’ empowerment and participation in the democratic process at local, regional and national levels.

Key competences for lifelong learning

Key competences in the shape of knowledge, skills and attitudes appropriate to each context are fundamental for each individual in a knowledge-based society. They provide added value for the labour market, social cohesion and active citizenship by offering flexibility and adaptability, satisfaction and motivation. Because they should be acquired by everyone, this recommendation proposes a reference tool for European Union (EU) countries to ensure that these key competences are fully integrated into their strategies and infrastructures, particularly in the context of lifelong learning.

New Eurydice study calls for stronger focus on IT and entrepreneurial skills in schools

All European countries have made significant progress in embedding key skills into school curricula to meet today's societal demands, according to a new Eurydice report published today. The study shows that not all competences are treated equally at school. While the status of basic skills (literacy, mathematics, science and foreign languages) is well established, the promotion of transversal skills, such as digital, civic and entrepreneurship skills, which are equally important for preparing young people for today's job market, is lagging behind.

Europe 2020

Europe 2020 is the EU's growth strategy for the coming decade.
In a changing world, we want the EU to become a smart, sustainable and inclusive economy. These three mutually reinforcing priorities should help the EU and the Member States deliver high levels of employment, productivity and social cohesion.

Concretely, the Union has set five ambitious objectives - on employment, innovation, education, social inclusion and climate/energy - to be reached by 2020. Each Member State has adopted its own national targets in each of these areas. Concrete actions at EU and national levels underpin the strategy. 

In Education the two main targets are to reduce school drop-out rates below 10% and to have at least 40% of 30-34-year-olds complete third level education.

Entrepreneurship Education in Europe - Eurydice Report

The report consists of both a comparative overview and national descriptions. The short comparative overview, covering EU Member States, plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Turkey, shows that the great majority of European countries address entrepreneurship education through national strategies or initiatives. At primary education level, two thirds of European countries explicitly acknowledge entrepreneurship in central steering documents while in secondary education virtually all countries integrate entrepreneurship into the curriculum, either as part of the general objectives of the overall curriculum, or within subject curricula or through a combination of these approaches. Thus the importance of entrepreneurship education is widely recognised. Moreover, many European countries define specific learning outcomes for entrepreneurship education covering entrepreneurial attitudes, knowledge and skills. Finally, the report also presents those countries where concrete guidelines and teaching materials give support to teachers, as well as a picture of current initiatives and ongoing reforms.

Teaching Reading in Europe - Eurydice Report

For the first time, a pan-European study offers a comprehensive picture of reading literacy and identifies some of the key factors impacting on the acquisition of reading skills for 3-15 year olds. It addresses four key topics: teaching approaches, tackling reading difficulties, teacher education and the promotion of reading outside school. It investigates each key topic in the light of the results of academic research, the latest results of international surveys and an in-depth review of national policies, programmes and best practices.

This new Eurydice study shows what countries are doing to improve reading literacy – and where they are falling short. The study, which covers 31 countries (EU Member States, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Turkey), reveals that while most have made progress in developing literacy policies, they often lack focus on the groups most at risk, such as boys, children from disadvantaged households and migrant children. EU Education Ministers have set a target to reduce the share of poor readers from 20 % to less than 15 % by 2020. Only Belgium (Flemish Community), Denmark, Estonia, Poland and Finland have already achieved this target.

Science Education in Europe - Eurydice Report

The study examines the organisation of science teaching in Europe and provides an overview of existing policies and strategies that aim at improving and fostering science teaching and learning today. It looks at support measures available to teachers and schools for boosting students' motivation and interest in science. The study also contains a literature review on science education, main findings from the international surveys PISA and TIMSS as well as results from a Eurydice pilot survey (SITEP) on the content of initial teacher education programmes.

Citizenship Education in Europe - Eurydice Report

The report shows that all European countries now have introduced central regulations to promote student participation in school governance. Encouraging citizens, particularly young people, to actively engage in social and political life has recently become a growing political priority both at national and European level. Because education is viewed as a principal means to promote active citizenship, the report aims to capture how policies and measures relating to citizenship education have evolved over recent years in European countries. To this end, the report provides an overview of the state of play on five main topics: 1) Curriculum aims and organisation; 2) student and parent participation in schools; 3) school culture and student participation in society; 4) assessment and evaluation; 5) and support for teachers and school heads.

Mathematics Education in Europe - Eurydice Report

In recent years, the issue of competence in mathematics has become increasingly important and has been taken up at the highest policy level. Mathematical competence has been identified as one of the key competences necessary for personal fulfilment, active citizenship, social inclusion and employability in a knowledge society. Moreover, the 2008 'Council Conclusions on preparing young people for the 21st century: an agenda for European cooperation on schools' considers the acquisition of literacy and numeracy skills to be the main priority for European cooperation in education.

In the light of these policy developments, this first Eurydice report on mathematics education aims to contribute to European and national debate on how to improve the teaching and learning of mathematics and provide support to European cooperation in the field.

The Nordic Countries in Educational key figures

The Nordic Cooperation has published a collection of statistics on education from day care to higher education in the member countries as compared to the whole of Europe, the USA and Korea. Although it is from 2010 it is still very useful. You can make your own evaluation since there is no explanation, just pure data.

Non-Formal Education helps employability of young people, research finds.

European Youth Forum, Brussels, 25th October 2012
Among the six soft skills mostly demanded by employers, five are also among those developed through involvement in youth organisations: communication, team work, decision-making, organisational skills and self-confidence.

Validation of non-formal and informal learning

European countries are increasingly emphasising the need to recognise the full range of an individual’s knowledge, skills and competences – those acquired not only at school, university or other education and training institutions, but also outside the formal system.

UNESCO World Teachers Day - 5 Oct

World Teachers’ Day, held annually on October 5th since 1994 - when it was created by UNESCO - celebrates teachers worldwide. Its aim is to mobilise support for teachers and to ensure that the needs of future generations will continue to be met by teachers. The slogan of this year's celebrations was 'Take a stand for teachers!'

Connecting with Emigrants, A Global Profile of Diasporas

This publication gathers a broad range of statistical information on migrant populations and their children worldwide by origin country which can be of use for policy makers to tail policies to the population groups in question. The various data sources on which this publication is based are compiled from many different OECD databases as well as from other non-OECD sources.

Eurydice Report on Recommended Annual Taught Time in full-time compulsory education in Europe, 2011/12

The Eurydice data collection on taught time targets the  recommended compulsory curriculum by
grades/stages for full time compulsory education.

Eurydice Report on Teachers’ and School Heads’ Salaries and Allowances in Europe, 2011/12

The Eurydice Network has been collecting and publishing data on teachers and school heads salaries
since 1995. Traditionally the information was used primarily in Key Data on Education reports, where two
sections were devoted to a comparative analysis of issues related to teachers and school heads.

National Student Fee and Support Systems 2011/12

The European Commission gathered information on the school systems of European Countries - member states as well as strategic partners. You will find useful information on both fees, support opportunities and planned reforms.

A lesson in teaching from the grassroots

"Critics of these organisations maintain that there is just no alternative to the traditional route of undergraduate studies, teacher training and then a career in the classroom. But those critics may simply underestimate the potential for creativity in the field of education that this combination of talent, passion and experience represents."

It's high time to fight corruption in education

‎"Numbers are important. If you are a student or parent, however, would it really make a difference if in your country 10%, 25% or 30% of the education institutions are corrupt? Probably not. Even one corrupt school, and one fake doctor, engineer or teacher is just one too many." - interesting article on the OECD website

Work life requires better literacy skills

The literacy requirements increase as the communication environment multiplies and computers become more common. With poor skills it is difficult to understand, interpret and critically evaluate diverse messages.

Education systems compared

The 2012 edition of Education at a Glance enables countries to see themselves in the light of other countries’ educational performance.

EU Youth Report calls for employment and social inclusion to be top priority

The EU Youth Report adopted on 10th September 2012, calls for youth employment, social inclusion, health and the well-being of young people to be top priorities in Europe's youth policy. The report, which is produced every three years by the Commission, underlines that the EU and Member States must do more to support young people, who have borne the brunt of the economic crisis. 

New publication on adult illiteracy

One in five 15-year-olds in Europe, as well as many adults, lack basic reading and writing skills, which makes it harder for them to find a job and puts them at risk of social exclusion. New publication by Lit.Voc tackles these problems. - We have to ask what does this mean for their children?

Recommendation on the validation of non-formal and informal learning

The Commission's proposal for a Council Recommendation on the validation of non-formal and informal learning:

Facts and Figures on Education

When does the school year start in Latvia? When does it end in Austria? When do students go on autumn holidays in Germany? Whether you are planning on studying a semester abroad or simply planning your next holiday, the updated and downloadable annual overview of the school and academic calendars in Europe 2012/13, published by Eurydice, can help!

Eurydice document on the cost of higher education in Europe

The cost of higher education for students varies dramatically in Europe. Do you know which European country charges the highest student fees? Or else, in which countries are students not charged any at all? What is the proportion of fee payers and what are the regulations concerning international student fees?

All of Europe Reads to Kids

 "All of Europe Reads to Kids" programme 

 In 2011, for the first time, we organized theInternational Week of Reading to Children. It was done in cooperation with our sister Czech Foundation “Every Czech Reads to Kids” as well as local authorities and libraries. Celebration started onJune 1st, 2011 in Cieszyn and Cesky Tesin jointly. 

Desegregation handbook for parents

Wanted: translation and dissemination good practises! Stichting Kleurrijke Scholen recently finished the Handbook Parential Initiatives for desegregation of primary schools. We want this book to be available througout Europe for parents wishing to desegregate pre-primary and primary schools. - Lonneke Sondorp

Second chances in Education

We all know how important the first years of formal education are; but what if the education provided during those years isn’t the best it can be? Are students forever penalised? Astudy in Canada that followed the 15-year-old students who had participated in PISA in 2000 and re-assessed their reading skills 9 years later shows that where education and training opportunities are readily available, deficits in initial education do not doom individuals to poor reading proficiency for the rest of their lives. In fact, on average, the young people surveyed gained 57 score points on the PISA reading scale between the ages of 15 and 24 – the equivalent of more than one year of school.

Ongoing Erasmus for All discussions

EPA and other international NGOs have been criticising the European Commission's intentions for new financial and funding regulations in the field of education. The proposed funding programme "Erasmus for All" shall replace the old pattern of funding models by which EPA gained substantial support up to 2011. Our coalition will meet on September 24 to discuss the actual status. - Johannes Theiner, EPA President on 28 August 2012

Multilingualism is a key element in European Integration

The civil society platform form the promotion of multilingualism held its latest General Assembly in the end of June 2012 in Brussels with a renewed spirit to continue its efforts to promote multilingualism in Europe as one of the key elements to foster European Integration and contributing to the promotion of intercultural dialogue, mutual understanding, cultural diversity, but also mobility, employment and economic growth in Europe.

Sardinian and Scottish study proves that bilingual children are top of the class

A new study from a Sardinian-Scottish research team has shown that bilingual children outperform their monolingual classmates when it comes to problem-solving skills and creative thinking. - from CORDIS News

National Stakeholders' Forum

A survey and a feasibility study on National Stakeholders' Forum has been published by EUCIS-LLL. The last research work of the Platform has been focused on National Stakeholders´ Forums, designed to foster concrete cooperation and consultation mechanisms at the national level on lifelong learning strategies in member states and on European cooperation in education and training. - press release

UNESCO Study on Early School leaving

Dangerous tendency especially if you look at the numbers in Central and Eastern Europe: about 900.000 children drop out early as compared to 1.3 million in the whole of Western Europe and North America

Addressing the social determinants of health: the urban dimension and the role of local government

This report summarizes the evidence on the social determinants of health in the urban context, drawing on the findings of the global Commission on Social Determinants of Health and the European review of social determinants of health and the health divide.

Curriculum for the Next Billion

Every month about 5 million people in the developing world move to cities. 
If we were to look at these families as parents and learners, what kind of education will they be looking for?

2012 Child Safety Report Cards

The 2012 Report Cards and Profiles describe: 1) how well a country is doing to make it safe for children, 2) the gaps in action on unintentional injury that need to be addressed, and 3) which good practices should be adopted to prevent injuries and to save more children's lives.

European Year of Citizens 2013 Alliance

‎2013 is suggested to be the EU thematic year for European citizens. An alliance has been created, and its manifesto is now online.

Erasing the “bright red dividing line” between education and work

In this article O’Reilly makes a strong case for the importance of developing “soft” skills in today’s global labour market. “We all obsess about mathematics and science skills,” he says, “but cultural skills do matter.”

Citizenship Education in Europe

Encouraging citizens, particularly young people, to actively engage in social and political life has recently become a growing political priority both at national and European level. Because education is viewed as a principal means to promote active citizenship, the 2012 Eurydice report on Citizenship Education in Europe aims to capture how policies and measures relating to citizenship education have evolved over recent years in European countries. 

What will the global talent pool look like in 2020?

According to OECD projections, there will be more than 200 million 25-34 year-olds with higher education degrees across all OECD and G20 countries by the year 2020 – and 40% of them will be from China and India alone. By contrast, the United States and the European Union countries are expected to account for just over a quarter of young people with tertiary degrees in OECD and G20 countries.

Measures to combat unemployment, underemployment, poverty and exclusion among young people

Strasbourg, 23.05.2012 Press release - In a draft resolution adopted yesterday on “The young generation sacrificed: social, economic and political consequences of the financial crisis”, the Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) notes that the young generation is disproportionally hit by the unemployment/underemployment-poverty-exclusion trap, a situation that could have tragic consequences.

Reducing Early School Leaving: Efficient and Effective Policies in Europe

Affecting one in seven young people, early school leaving (ESL) is one of the main educational challenges in Europe, and reducing its levels is a shared objective of EUcountries.

What should students learn in the 21st century?

What is actually being done to ensure that our workforce is skilled for 21st century success and to ensure that students are skilled, ready to work and contribute to society? An article on the OECD website is trying to find answers.

PISA - Let's Read Them a Story! The Parent Factor in Education

This report examines whether and how parents’ involvement is related to their child’s proficiency in and enjoyment of reading -- and it also offers comfort to parents who are concerned that they don’t have enough time or the requisite academic knowledge to help their children succeed in school. Many types of parental involvement that are associated with better student performance in PISA require relatively little time and no specialised knowledge. What counts is genuine interest and active engagement.

EU Press Release on the Digital Agenda: New strategy for safer internet and better internet content for children and teenagers

Brussels, 2 May 2012 –The Commission has set out a plan to give children the digital skills and tools they need to benefit fully and safely from the digital world. The internet was not designed with children in mind, but today 75% of children use the internet, a third of them on mobiles. The new strategy is to build up the market for interactive, creative and educational content online, in a partnership between the European Commission and Member States, mobile phone operators, handset manufacturers and providers of social networking services.

Report on the health behaviour of school-aged children by WHO

Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC), a WHO collaborative cross-national study, involves a wide network of researchers from all participating countries and regions. The Health Behaviour of School-aged Children (HBSC) study provides key insights into the health-related behaviours of young
people. Its unique methodology has facilitated engagement with hundreds of thousands of young people in many parts of the world since its inception in 1983, building a data base over time that describes patterns and issues relevant to their health and well-being.

How to chose a musical instrument for your kids?

There is a good initiative in Hungary that I want to share with you: twice a year there is a series of two-day events where kids can watch and try differents sports they can learn and do in their free time. From this year on they can do the same with musical instruments.

Kinder-Cash is the perfect starting point for parents and schools to teach children responsible money management - before bad habits can develop.

EU Goals to Improve Education 2011

The EU has met just one of the five education targets it set in 2003. But its goals for 2020 are attainable, says report.

The Nordic Co-operation on Education

A very interesting collection of information and links on the school systems of the Nordic (Northern European) contries not only for students and teachers, but also for parents here:
http://www.norden.org/en/resources/especially-for-../students-and-teachers?ref=info_for

ENIL – European Network for Intergenerational Learning

The European Network in Intergenerational Learning responds to the need identified among practitioners to offer a platform and incentives for fostering new ideas and new developments in intergenerational learning across Europe, and to provide the infrastructure for on-going exchange of expertise, good practice, news, research and developments in the field.

What is EPA?

EPA - the European Parents' Association - was founded in April 1985 in Milan/Italy to gather together associations of parents and families from all over Europe. The specific needs and interests of parents have been in the focus of EPA activities since then.