31.3.2009   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 76/58

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stresses the fact that the prime purpose of supranational measures must be to generate European added value. In consequence, the Committee endorses the Commission's call to capitalise more on the diversity — based on common values — of school systems in Europe, with their many innovative and excellent practices

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points out the need to keep in mind the varying degrees of decentralisation in different Member States. In many Member States, responsibility for schools lies with the local and regional authorities. It is important, therefore, to have effective political and administrative interaction between all tiers and that common policies are drawn up. The most successful way to improve schools is for local and regional authorities to be active partners in the process and take responsibility for the development of education in their areas

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thinks that t should not be forgotten that education is acquired not only in school, but also in pre-school establishments and in everyday life outside of school — for example, in the family, in leisure activities with contemporaries, in digital environments or through the media. Those responsible for education or youth policy should endeavour to see the young people in their care in the round and consequently factor into their thinking — as far as possible — the extracurricular education processes and the influence that these have on school education and informal education.

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notes that it is largely local and regional authorities that have — as far as they have been able — funded pre-school provision throughout Europe and continuously built up and improved it over many years. Nevertheless, now as in the past, many projects — such as promoting multilingualism in young children, especially in border regions — can only be launched with support from European programme funds. In such cases, the Committee thinks that European Union support measures should offer greater continuity to avoid good projects folding after only a few years due to lack of funding and the knowledge and experience acquired being lost. Continuing with these projects would require financial support from the EU.

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hopes in this regard that the new Comenius Regio programme will give local and regional authorities greater scope to decide for themselves the priorities they would like to set in the support for projects.

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offers the Commission its support in the cooperation it proposes. It reiterates that cooperation should consist above all in the direct pooling of experience between bodies responsible for education policy in the Member States.

Rapporteur

:

Ms Helma KUHN-THEIS (DE/EPP), Member of the Saarland Landtag

1.

welcomes the European Commission's Communication on Improving competences for the 21st century, which sets out important challenges facing education systems in Europe. It largely concurs with the Commission in its analysis of the difficulties and with the conclusions it reaches. In particular, it agrees entirely with the Commission's view that investing in young people — especially in the education sphere — should be the highest priority.

2.

would have found it helpful here if the Commission had sought to calculate the scale of the financial commitment for local and regional authorities that implementing its proposals would entail.

3.

takes the view that combating the problems examined by the Commission is in many respects already at the heart of efforts not only of Member States but also of local and regional authorities. For this reason, the Committee laments the Commission's failure to mention in its remarks the contribution that local and regional authorities — with their diverse responsibilities in the education sector and their detailed knowledge of the local and regional circumstances — are already making, to tackling the questions raised and the fact that they will continue to provide financial resources and expertise.

4.

does see a need, on the other hand, for further action, given the key role of education in economic growth and prosperity in Europe and the pre-eminent importance of schooling with regard to lifelong learning. For this reason, it supports in principle the proposal to strengthen European cooperation on schools.

5.

at the same time stresses the fact that the prime purpose of supranational measures must be to generate European added value. In consequence, the Committee endorses the Commission's call to capitalise more on the diversity — based on common values — of school systems in Europe, with their many innovative and excellent practices. This applies particularly to the approach put forward by the Commission of supporting bodies responsible for the form and substance of education systems — at local and regional as well as national levels — by facilitating the exchange of proven methods.

6.

points out the need to keep in mind the varying degrees of decentralisation in different Member States. In many Member States, responsibility for schools lies with the local and regional authorities. It is important, therefore, to have effective political and administrative interaction between all tiers and that common policies are drawn up. The most successful way to improve schools is for local and regional authorities to be active partners in the process and take responsibility for the development of education in their areas.

7.

thinks that the Communication's approach of focusing only on the structuring of European cooperation on schools is legitimate and viable. It should not be forgotten, however, that education is acquired not only in school, but also in pre-school establishments and in everyday life outside of school — for example, in the family, in leisure activities with contemporaries, in digital environments or through the media. Those responsible for education or youth policy should endeavour to see the young people in their care in the round and consequently factor into their thinking — as far as possible — the extracurricular education processes and the influence that these have on school education and informal education.

8.

underscores the Commission's observation that skills acquisition largely depends on the learners themselves, ‘by reflecting critically on their learning aims, managing their learning with self-discipline, working autonomously and collaboratively, seeking information and support when necessary, and using all the opportunities of information and communication technologies’ (see point 2.3). Therefore, in a society in which the capacity for lifelong learning is increasingly important, learning to learn and independent learning are absolutely essential and need to be encouraged as key skills.

9.

considers it important, for this reason, that schools have a coherent concept of education so that pupils understand how the education they receive is structured and what is expected of them. The learning of children and young adults should be marked by positive expectations, receptiveness, stimulation and direction.

10.

endorses the view that curricular reform should take a holistic and skills-oriented approach ‘involving teachers, learners and other actors fully’ (point 2.5), wobei besonders die Einbeziehung der Erziehungsberechtigten wichtig ist. High expectations should be set for the school system whilst recognising that schools also depend to a large extent on social circumstances. Two examples illustrate the point. Firstly, the school's efforts bear more fruit if the foundations of a positive attitude to learning have already been laid in the family and pre-school facilities. Secondly, as the end of schooling approaches, the signals sent by the economy and the labour market are also very important for young people's motivation to learn. For their part, schools can also sustain a new culture of citizenship by:

11.

agrees with the Commission that promoting reading skills is one of the school's core tasks. Many of the support strategies set forth by the Commission — especially regarding the school environment — are classic local and regional authority roles, including promoting the language skills of families and improving the literacy infrastructure. The equipping of schools, multimedia libraries and leisure facilities, which is mostly funded by regional and local authorities, is also an important factor in developing a positive attitude towards mathematics, information technology, natural sciences and technology (MINT subjects).

12.

stresses, in addition to the acquisition of reading and writing skills, the importance of developing ICT (e-literacy) skills as school. This is the best way of preparing children and young people for an independent life and enabling them to master modern information technologies, which bring additional added value for their personal development and that of society

13.

shares the Commission's view of the importance of individualised learning approaches and the purpose of assessment. Assessments should be formative and forward looking — in other words, they should be intended to shape further learning more effectively and more individually. In reality, however, they are often summative, that is to say definitive, and used only to grade pupils. Here the Committee still sees a considerable need for improvement in initial and in-service teacher training. European programmes to spread new knowledge can make a contribution here, especially if they can also reach trainee teachers and teachers who are receiving in-service training.

14.

regrets the wording in the third indent of the conclusion — ‘adopting a comprehensive approach to competence development, encompassing curricula, learning materials, teacher training …’ — since it fails to make clear that this is not a call for a harmonised approach across Europe, but an impetus to Member States and those within them who are responsible for education.

15.

sees a close connection between education designed to cultivate an entrepreneurial culture and spirit and the principle mentioned above whereby the overall aim is to foster the development of independent individuals who are prepared to act on their own initiative — not only in the economic sphere, but in their role as citizens who take responsibility for the community. Schools must therefore develop high quality learning for every student (Section 3), positioning themselves as educational communities from the cognitive, cultural and social point of view, and boosting not only education for knowledge, but also education for citizenship. Another important factor in this context is close cooperation with the local and regional world of work.

16.

unreservedly endorses the Commission's plea for better learning opportunities for pre-school children. It explicitly endorses the statement that ‘improving pre-school provision and widening access to it are potentially the most important contributions […] to improving opportunities for all and achieving Lisbon goals.’ It is in pre-school facilities that important foundations are laid for subsequent successful learning throughout the school career. This is not only true for children from disadvantaged groups; a good pre-school education benefits all. Children's attendance at pre-school facilities offers an initial opportunity for an approach to knowledge in which socio-educational steps, from the earliest years, lay down the foundations for positive attitudes towards social existence, commitment, learning and to involving families in their own children's education. The innovative teaching methods that are often adopted in pre-school facilities could be usefully applied, with appropriate changes, to the ensuing levels of education. However, the Committee warns that even the best possible provision at the pre-school stage does not absolve teachers in subsequent education from their responsibility to keep alive and further develop their pupils' joy of discovery and appetite for learning.

17.

notes that it is largely local and regional authorities that have — as far as they have been able — funded pre-school provision throughout Europe and continuously built up and improved it over many years. Nevertheless, now as in the past, many projects — such as promoting multilingualism in young children, especially in border regions — can only be launched with support from European programme funds. In such cases, the Committee thinks that European Union support measures should offer greater continuity to avoid good projects folding after only a few years due to lack of funding and the knowledge and experience acquired being lost. Continuing with these projects would require financial support from the EU.

18.

hopes in this regard that the new Comenius Regio programme will give local and regional authorities greater scope to decide for themselves the priorities they would like to set in the support for projects.

19.

backs the Commission in its call for greater fairness in the education system, but cannot endorse its sometimes too general pronouncements on the different solutions in place in the individual Member States, including the age at which children are sent to schools that issue qualitatively different school-leaving qualifications. A 2007 McKinsey study (1) shows that success in learning depends far more on the structure of education than how the school system is organised. For this reason, effort should be put into improving the quality of teacher training — as the Commission quite rightly says elsewhere in its communication (Section 4).

20.

considers it important that all the Member States strive for even greater equality of opportunity in access to schooling. The aim is for everyone to have access to high quality schooling and to ensure that social and economic inequalities do not play any considerable role.

21.

is aware that in many instances pupils from migrant backgrounds face very complex problems and therefore require particular attention. In this context it welcomes the Commission's Green Paper (2) on this matter on which the Committee of the Regions will soon draw up a separate opinion. Schools must be supported in the efforts they are making to integrate foreign pupils and their families, by providing intercultural education that ensures attention for all and respect for diversity. An understanding of the strong links between language and culture highlights the importance of language learning, covering both an aural and written knowledge of the host country language, as a means of communication and contact, and preserving the language of the country of origin, as a token of identity and respect and celebration of diversity.

22.

considers it a very important task of schools to support disadvantaged pupils, to bolster their self-confidence, to recognise their progress and to show them pathways to success that as far as possible match their individual circumstances and needs. However, it should also not be forgotten that very promising pupils with particular gifts and talents have just as much right to be stimulated, supported and challenged. That, too, is part of a fair school system. One of the most important and exacting tasks in teaching is to structure individual support for all pupils in a way that does not diminish social solidarity. The individual's sense of responsibility for the whole must be preserved.

23.

calls for a huge reinforcement of the importance of these curricular and extracurricular measures to bring down early school leaving. Local and regional authorities bear a large part of the responsibility in this matter and invest considerable resources. In this connection the Committee recognises that making resources available from the European structural fund is a great help, but would like to see local and regional authorities given more access to European support funds with the least possible red tape.

24.

on the question of ‘second chance’ schools, points out the importance of a second learning pathway not only for young people, but at all stages of life. All adults, though especially, of course, those who missed out on a lot as children and young adults, must still have opportunities for development.

25.

feels that the overall measures concerning education provision for pupils with special educational needs is inappropriate. Firstly, the individual needs of such children vary greatly; secondly, there are considerable differences between systems in the Member States for providing for special educational needs. It must be the general aim of education to give pupils with learning and adaptation difficulties prompt and flexible help irrespective of the type of school they attend. It is wrong, therefore, to judge the quality of special needs education solely on the kind of school attended. For many pupils it is only special needs schools that provide access to education. In particular, however, it is important for children who may have special educational needs that these are spotted and recognised as early as possible in their pre-school years so that support mechanisms can be activated. This would make the transition into school much easier for the children concerned and their families.

26.

stresses the importance of school development for the sustainability of the reforms introduced in the various education systems. As part of this, the role of school inspections — which should promote and support flexibility and innovation in schools — should also be examined. In line with this, the Committee urges the Commission to pursue with care any policy of coordination and coherence which could stifle the overall objectives of innovation and entrepreneurship at the school level if it becomes a vehicle for standardisation. The Committee thinks that school reform is a matter in which not only Member States but also local and regional authorities as well as schools themselves could benefit from pooling experience and recognises that European programmes, especially Comenius and the earlier ARION, have been and continue to be very useful in this regard.

27.

endorses the Council's view (3) that schools should become self-evaluating learning communities that set themselves new goals, committing to the educational policy of their local or regional authority, possible according to the constitutional provisions of the Member State, and playing a role in drawing up these policies. This includes improving continuous education and development provision for teachers. In this connection, the Committee welcomes schools and teachers cultivating good contacts with the local community. In its view, the regional and local tiers are crucially important for a school's sound development.

28.

agrees with the Commission that teachers are crucial to achieving the Lisbon goals. It feels that priority must be given to high-quality pedagogical and technical initial teacher-training that includes periods of teaching practice.

29.

calls for greater teacher mobility in initial and continuing education. It is reasonable to expect that teachers who have gained first-hand experience in other European countries will be able to bring alive to their pupils the diversity of Europe's traditions and cultures and bring them to recognise shared values.

30.

can think of other factors which should be taken into account in the initial and continuing education of teachers. Among these is the change in learning behaviour through use of the internet and the associated innovations. There thus needs to be a change in the image of teachers and how they see themselves. Flexibility is vital: teachers must be quick to recognise trends in education and engage with changes in the sector. Teachers, social and youth workers, and many others involved in teaching roles must work together and seek to understand each other's professional environment. Teamwork should be one of the pillars of initial and continuing education. Equally important are networking and cooperation with colleagues at other schools.

31.

also proposes to address the role of complementary and possibly semi-professional work. In many regions, for example, the role of learning coach has been created to tackle the individual needs of particular learners. There could be models here for other school systems to imitate.

32.

feels that the Commission's proposal for better recruitment is a question that needs attention. The Committee regards as a sound approach the targeted recruitment of qualified applicants — who would then be continuously supported in their education and career — as set out by the Commission in point 4.4 of the communication.

33.

agrees with the Commission that the demands placed on school managements have risen enormously. Local and regional authorities have recognised this and, in an attempt to attract competent individuals to the job, are endeavouring to make schools a more attractive workplace for school managers too.

34.

believes that it is important, as part of ongoing cooperation in this area, to conduct a general debate on the role and tasks of school leaders and the competences required of them. It is also important in this context to exchange experience on good practices in the recruitment of school leaders.

35.

offers the Commission its support in the cooperation it proposes. It reiterates that cooperation should consist above all in the direct pooling of experience between bodies responsible for education policy in the Member States. The Committee sees the real priority here to be the focus proposed by the Commission in its conclusion: improving literacy, extending access to pre-school provision and strengthening teacher education. It calls for more and easier ways of using EU funds to foster the transfer and testing of procedures that have proven their worth in local authorities and regions. The principle here, however, must be to take the greatest care in transposing models from one region to another — because of the different cultural and social context involved — and this should only be done on the basis of a conscious decision and with the express consent of those responsible at local level.

36.

thanks the Commission for the stimulating ideas in its communication and asks it to take note of these remarks as the discussion proceeds.