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.