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Printed: 06.10.2024.
PrintTeachers in education and training: creating European Education Area
At the second European Education Summit (September 2019),
the European Commission issued the new “Education and Training Monitor”, which
for the eighth year analyzed the education and training systems in the EU
states. Besides, the Monitor shows further progress towards important EU
education and training targets and highlights the need to better support teachers
and make the teaching profession more attractive.
On the 2nd EU Education Summit in: https://ec.europa.eu/education/summit_en
The quality of teachers is considered to be the single
greatest factor within schools impacting students’ educational outcomes. The Education
and Training Monitor-2019 uses the latest OECD’s TALIS data on school
environments, career progression and opportunities for lifelong learning.
Besides, it provides comparative insights into the EU member states’ national
education and training systems and policies.
Commissioner for education and culture mentioned that investing in teachers means giving them the optimal
tools to work with and recognition they deserve.
No doubt, the
success of any education reform depends on teachers; hence the better states respond
to teachers’ needs the better it is for creating a true European Education Area
by 2025.
The Education and
Training Monitor-2019 has a vital role to play in driving further reforms in
the states’ education systems while helping to ensure that schools and
universities use best and most talented teachers.
The EU’s supporting education policies
According to the division of competences between the EU
institutions and the states, the education and culture policies are among
so-called supporting and supplementing activities from the EU. Thus, the Commission
supports the states to improve their education systems through policy
cooperation, benchmarking and funding programmes such as Erasmus+.
By fostering dialogue among the states’ education
authorities, the Commission helps the states in improving their education
systems.
On Erasmus+ see: https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/erasmus-plus/node_en
For example, the new Monitor focuses on teachers and includes
findings on teachers’ profession made by the OECD experts, so called TALIS –
the Teachers and Learning International Survey, showing teachers’ role in tackling
pressing educational issues, e.g. through ICT and AI. Thus, the Monitor
recommends ensuring an appropriate number of teachers in the national education
system: in all subjects and across rural and urban areas.
At the same time, it highlights that greater policy efforts
are needed to attract the best candidates to teaching, while ensuring that they
are properly trained and motivated to stay in the profession.
Education is high on the EU's political agenda: working with
the states, the Commission has laid the foundations of a European Education
Area, which is about enhancing learning, cooperation and excellence.
Several other EU programmes help stimulate investment and
support policy priorities in education: e.g. the Erasmus+ programme, the European Structural and
Investment Funds, including the Youth Employment Initiative, as well
as Horizon 2020 and the European Institute of Innovation and
Technology.
The Commission has proposed to significantly boost funding
for young people and learning in the EU's next long-term budget (2021-27).
On EU education are in:
https://ec.europa.eu/education/education-in-the-eu/european-education-area_en
Teacher’s profession
When it comes to investment in education, the Monitor's data
shows that public expenditure on education in the EU has remained broadly
stable at EU level; however, the member states still invest less in education
than they did before the economic crisis of 2007-08.
The Monitor reveals that the EU states have now almost
reached their target for reducing early school leaving. Yet, while the share of
pupils dropping out has declined from 14.2% in 2009 to 10.6% in 2018, progress
has slowed since 2016.
The percentage of young people holding a tertiary education
diploma rose from 32.3% in 2009 to 40.7% in 2018.
The Monitor also shows that higher educational attainment
corresponds to higher employment rates among recent graduates and more
significant participation in adult learning.
The share of children enrolled in early childhood education
rose from 90.8% in 2009 to 95.4% in 2017.
While participation in education has been growing in Europe,
one in five 15-year-old pupils still cannot solve simple reading, math’s and
science tasks, while too many children remain at risk of educational poverty.
The 2019- Education and Training Monitor marks ten years
since the start of the EU cooperation framework Education and Training
2020 (ET-2020), which was agreed by all EU states about ten years ago.
The ET-2020 not only measures progress in the states’
education and training policies but includes “the treatment of education issues”
in the annual European Semester process. Besides, ET-2020 helps to identify
where EU funding for education, training and skills should be targeted in the
EU's next long-term budget.
On EU education & training program-2020 in:
https://ec.europa.eu/education/policies/european-policy-cooperation/et2020-framework_en
The Monitor analyses the main challenges for European
education systems and presents policies that can make them more responsive to
societal and labour market needs.
More information in the following web-links:
- the Education and Training Monitor website (including EU and country-specific factsheets and infographics);
- European Education Summit website;
- European
Education Area website.
General link: https://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-19-5729_en.htm?locale=en/ Brussels, 26 September 2019.