Renouveau & Démocratie - Antonio Cenini - Looking to the FUTURE of the European Schools System...
Channel: Renouveau et Démocratie
Date: 23/04/2024

Looking to the FUTURE of the European Schools System
drawing lessons from the problems of the PRESENT
Let’s discuss it with the Chairman of the Board of Governors!
R&D has always been committed to supporting the European Schools, not only as part of the social package offered to our staff, but also as a model of high-quality multilingual and multicultural education in Europe and beyond, open to all EU citizens, demonstrating that being ‘united in diversity’ can also be a living reality in the field of education.

As regards the FUTURE of the EES, we are delighted that our appeals have been heard!

On 12 September 2023 the European Parliament issued resolution on the European Schools System: state of play, challenges and perspectives ( link ). The report aims to define the mission and perspectives of the European Schools System (ESS) in the context of the challenges of the 21st century and to provide a vision for the system, including plans for its modernisation and the development of a model for contemporary education to play an important role in the creation of the European Education Area (EEA).

The main recommendations and ideas of the EP Report along with the outcomes of the meetings of the Heads of Delegation and the Board of Governors of the European Schools can be clustered into three thematic groups: PEDAGOGY (mission, functions, objectives and quality assurance), ADMINISTRATION AND GOVERNANCE (management, organisation and structure) and RESOURCES (human resources, infrastructure and legal framework). An action plan will be presented to the Board of Governors in April 2024 for decision.

The more than appreciable effort to design the future of the European Schools must not become a pretext for neglecting CURRENT and urgent problems! 

Any discussions of the future of the ESS must not be used as a pretext for neglecting the problems currently observed in the operation of the current ES, particularly but not exclusively in Brussels, concerning notably:

the lack of accountability of some host countries, which are responsible for the provision and maintenance of school buildings, which has led to serious issues, especially in Brussels, where schools are overcrowded, with profound repercussions on the quality of teaching, on organisational aspects and on the safety and well-being of students and staff;  
the shortcomings of the enrolment policy,
the need for a systematic inclusion policy,
the need to set up an independent ombudsperson to address complaints of maladministration and to mediate in cases of conflict;
the need to ensure fair contractual and working conditions Locally Recruited Teachers.