A4-0056/97

Resolution on the Commission's White Paper on Education and Training - Teaching and Learning - Towards the learning society (COM(95)0590 - C4-0597/95)

The European Parliament,

- having regard to the Commission's White Paper on Education and Training - Teaching and Learning - Towards the learning society (COM(95)0590 - C4- 0597/95),

- having regard to the report by the Economic and Social Committee (CES 479/96fin.),

- having regard to the report by the Committee of the Regions (Cdr 115/96),

- having regard to the right to education and vocational training, particularly Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 2 of the Protocol to the European Convention on Human Rights, Article 10 of the European Social Charter and Article 13 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights,

- having regard to the report by the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs and the opinions of the Committee on Research, Technological Development and Energy and the Committee on Culture, Youth, Education and the Media (A4-0056/97),

A. whereas the Commission White Paper on Education and Training is welcomed in that it has initiated a timely debate on the place education and training should be given in the political agendas of the European Union, the Member States, regional and local authorities, the social partners at all levels and non-governmental organizations,

B. whereas the document emphasizes the rapidly changing economic and technological context with which education and training systems are confronted, in particular the impact of the information society, the globalization of the economy and the effects of scientific and technological progress,

The challenges

C. whereas the Commission fails to address adequately other important challenges, including demographic changes, the decline in relative terms of public education and training expenditure and the increasing risks of social exclusion for growing sections of the population,

D. whereas the responsibility for ensuring that education is universally available lies with the public sector rather than the individual,

E. whereas the demographic development occurring in Europe, in particular the ageing of the population, is radically changing the structure of our society,

F. whereas this development, combined with rapid technological change and the restructuring of our economies, makes it necessary to reconsider the objectives of education and training and focus public expenditure on lifelong learning,

G. whereas a second challenge for the Member States of the Union is to increase investment in education and training despite current budgetary constraints,

H. whereas this can be achieved in part through a shift from passive to active labour market policies, as the experience in some Member States shows,

I. whereas capital spending currently accounts for only a small proportion of total public education expenditure and is decreasing,

J. whereas this runs counter to the urgent need to modernize the education system,

K. whereas there is a danger of an increase in social exclusion since the gap is widening between "those who know and those who do not know¨ and consequently action is required to enable all to acquire marketable and flexible skills,

The purpose

L. whereas in the light of the new social and economic circumstances education and training systems should equip individuals with the capacity to learn throughout their lives,

M. whereas improvement in education and training results in higher economic growth and increased individual income and creates better opportunities for the individual to compete on the labour market,

N. whereas in fact research indicates that

- education in the EU can account for up to 14% of the annual growth rate,

- educational attainments have stronger effects on earnings than other factors such as socio-economic background, race, natural ability and work experience, particularly in the case of women,

- relative unemployment rates are much higher at lower levels of education,

- initial training for young people, if combined with work experience opportunities, considerably shortens job-seeking times and therefore reduces the risks of long-term unemployment for this age group,

- high levels of education and training are beneficial to the competitiveness of business as they result in a more productive, flexible and mobile labour force,

O. whereas education and training contribute to the furthering of social goals such as reducing crime, improving public health, protecting the environment and promoting democracy, equality of opportunity and social justice and combating racism and xenophobia,

P. whereas the White Paper mainly focuses on knowledge and cognitive skills and takes insufficient account of the social, emotional, moral and spiritual aspects of education and training,

Q. whereas this resolution places great emphasis on action by Member States given their primary responsibility for education and training policies,

Lifelong learning: the beneficiaries

1. Welcomes the fact that the White Paper has highlighted some key issues, such as the need for a broad knowledge base, the increased importance of learning foreign languages, the objective of bringing schools and business closer together, the significance of apprenticeship schemes, the concept of a European Voluntary Service and the need to increase investment in education and training;

2. Is critical of the Commission approach which focuses almost exclusively on young people; takes the view that the debate should be expanded to encompass lifelong learning and widened to include the following target groups:

- children,

- adult workers,

- women,

- people excluded or marginalized from society, including the long-term unemployed, and those who have not had the benefit of general education or basic vocational training,

- enterprises;

Children

3. Takes the view that the capacity for lifelong learning has to be developed from a very early stage; therefore believes that efforts should be made to increase enrolment in pre-school education which introduces young children to a wide curriculum, through play-based learning and teaching;

4. Also considers it necessary to review teaching methods and contents with a view to providing education which fosters equality between the sexes and achieving greater involvement of all children regardless of their background; is of the opinion that this calls for 'individualizing' teaching provision, not least through recourse to information technology, in order to encourage active participation and investigation, thus making pupils the actors of education;

5. Is not convinced of the advisability of pursuing the model of separate second-chance schools advocated by the Commission's White Paper; believes on the contrary in promoting awareness of the need to invest in mainstream education in order to develop everyone's potential and provide a broad knowledge base for all by ensuring that all children receive teaching tailored to their individual needs so as to be able to complete their schooling successfully;

6. Accepts the diversity of school systems and points out that where the second-chance school approach proposed by the Commission is pursued this must not result in the creation of ghetto schools, and that the main objective must be to reintegrate young people into the mainstream education system;

7. Believes that within Member States' education systems there is a need for positive action to assist disadvantaged groups and individuals;

8. Suggests that learning partnerships be established with disadvantaged groups, including the families of pupils and students, and that specific attention should be given to the fight against illiteracy and the training of teachers to enable the development of home-school partnerships;

9. Emphasizes the urgent need for research into the causes inhibiting educational achievement;

10. Is in fact of the opinion that mainstream education is a formidable tool for preventing the exclusion of children from disadvantaged backgrounds provided sufficient support and adequate resources are made available;

11. Fears that new financing approaches aimed at optimizing the cost- effectiveness of education by introducing market forces for schools will widen social divisions and fail to ensure that all children are given a real educational foundation for their future life;

Young people

12. Criticizes the White Paper for underemphasizing the role of education and training in preparing young people for social, egalitarian, democratic as well as working roles in adult life;

13. Emphasizes that education and training systems cannot be revitalized by simply establishing closer links with business but also by

- striving for a more balanced mix between theoretical knowledge and practical skills in all educational curricula,

- delaying streaming decisions between general and vocational routes,

- providing greater cooperation and mobility both within and between general and vocational education, thus improving education provision and allowing progression from vocational education into higher education,

- providing counselling and career advice services during the period of transition between initial training (e.g. for those leaving compulsory schooling, vocational training and other studies) and work,

- encouraging young people to participate in opportunities for active citizenship, work experience, entrepreneurial and voluntary action;

- avoiding the creation of courses which lead to educational dead ends and therefore constitute obstacles to continuing education;

Women

14. Regards it as essential to create conditions which enable women to access education and training, taking into account the fact that they often still have to bear a double burden;

15. Believes that in a strategy to combat unemployment amongst women positive action must be taken to encourage girls and women to take up education and training, particularly in scientific and technical subjects, which leads to a broader range of occupations, including traditionally male-dominated areas;

Disadvantaged groups

16. Believes that increased opportunities are required for particular groups whose access to lifelong learning is currently very limited, including the long-term unemployed, those in unskilled or part-time jobs, and those who have periods out of the labour market, ethnic minorities, the elderly and disabled people and those with little initial education and training;

17. Calls upon the public authorities to provide a structure for education and training opportunities for these vulnerable groups, including systems of ¨continual chances?, flexible pathways and accreditation routes bringing them into the mainstream of economic, social and democratic life;

18. Suggests that a strategy to combat social exclusion should include attention to the barriers that inhibit learning, more 'active' employment measures, labour market intelligence, literacy, access to information and communication technologies, personal learning and activity programmes and other locally targeted provision;

19. Stresses the marginalizing effects of long-term unemployment, which can be combated particularly by means of general education projects, for example those designed to provide basic all-round education and develop informatics skills, and long-term vocational training;

20. Stresses the importance of giving disabled people the support they need to be able to participate in the mainstream education system, including making educational establishments fully accessible to people with mobility problems;

The teaching environment and teachers

21. Stresses that good-quality education depends on teaching staff themselves being well-trained in their subjects and on society taking responsibility for there being sufficient well-trained teachers;

22. Considers also that consistently good teaching which can inspire and motivate pupils to absorb knowledge and encourage them to seek knowledge themselves is an important prerequisite for a well-developed learning society;

23. Considers access to good teaching aids, particularly ICTs-based ones, to be an essential part of the teaching process;

24. Considers that the development of multimedia educational software in schools should continue to receive support beyond the framework of the 'European Year of Lifelong Learning', subject to the following conditions:

(a) the content quality is maintained;

(b) the teaching aspect is taken into account and teachers receive specific training and appropriate teaching material;

(c) target groups (teachers and pupils) are involved in developing products;

(d) the financial implications are closely monitored, to achieve the greatest possible cost-efficiency, and schools remain in the public service sector;

(e) schools in the public sector are properly equipped with computers;

25. Is convinced that schools and the teaching environment have a major impact on pupils' ability to assimilate, and teachers' ability to impart, knowledge;

26. Considers that the teaching and learning of languages in addition to the mother tongue increases the scope for mobility, contact, development of knowledge and employment;

27. Believes that European scientific, economic and socio-cultural exchanges would be assisted by an ability to communicate effectively in two Community languages and calls on the Commission to encourage and support the efforts of national,regional and/or local authorities to ensure that the need to work towards this goal is reflected in the school curricula;

28. Calls therefore for the following objectives to be pursued:

- proficiency in the mother tongue;

- attainment of a good functional level in a first foreign language, the learning of which should start at the beginning of primary education;

- a passive knowledge of one or more other foreign languages, particularly languages related to the mother tongue and the languages of neighbouring countries and of countries with historical links, irrespective of whether or not these are Member States of the EU;

- the undertaking that a maximum choice of European languages is offered in the secondary education of each Member State and that no language occupies a dominant position, in order to preserve the cultural diversity of Europe;

- specific teacher training to take account of modern methods of language teaching;

29. Calls on the Commission to support the use of modern methods, educational multimedia and the development of networks designed to teach languages at Community level;

30. Draws attention to the significant contribution made by extramural educational provision, particularly youth movements and non-formal education;

The employed/Enterprise

31. Is convinced that business has a major responsibility for promoting continuing training but that market forces alone are not sufficient to meet the qualification and skill needs of a market undergoing rapid and dramatic change, especially with regard to ICTs;

32. Believes that national governments should give a lead in mobilizing partnerships and providing incentives for increased investment in and commitment to lifelong learning; notes in this respect the role public employment services and the European Social Fund can play;

33. Also takes the view that workers' participation in continuing education and training has to be encouraged by

- ensuring every worker's right to training commensurate with his/her needs and the needs of the enterprise,

- finding ways of accrediting newly acquired skills and achievements and recognizing them in terms of wages and career opportunities,

- targeting action on the so-called peripheral workforce, i.e. low- skilled, part-time and temporary workers who are less likely to be given training opportunities,

- addressing the difficulties experienced especially by workers in micro- enterprises and SMEs and the self-employed;

Partnerships and resources

34. Suggests that the social partners have a crucial role to play in providing the motivation and access to lifelong learning, for example by reaching agreements not only to meet the needs of the employed and employers but also to create work and training placement opportunities for young job seekers, the unemployed and other disadvantaged groups;

35. Stresses the need to establish targeted partnerships at local levels between local and regional authorities, non-governmental organizations, local people and enterprises, including SMEs, to provide access to relevant education and training opportunities;

36. Takes the view that many small, regionally dispersed education centres, such as smaller universities, regional company-and training centres can help create new job opportunities, not least in sparsely populated areas;

37. Believes that education and training institutions should work with other partners to provide new methods of teaching, active learning, and the recognition of skills and achievements;

38. Is convinced, in the light of current demographic and labour market developments, that the Commission should have given more emphasis to the need for Member States to redirect their resources and explore budgetary initiatives designed to provide the incentives for lifelong learning and prevent the waste of human potential;

39. Calls on the Member States, over and above the implementation of the SOCRATES and LEONARDO programmes, to step up their cooperation and organize exchanges and courses incorporating modules obtained from another EU Member State; these measures should facilitate mutual recognition of diplomas and promote access to knowledge and European culture for as many people as possible;

EU role

40. Recalls that the role of the EU is limited to supporting, initiating and coordinating education and training while Member States retain the main responsibility in this policy area;

41. Expects the Council and the Commission to take greater account, when establishing the annual budgets, of the fact that the EU accords priority to general vocational training as a means of improving the employment situation;

42. Points out that the EU's education and cultural programmes are funded under heading 3 of the budget ('internal policies'), 80% of which is earmarked for research and networks and all other expenditure is subject to severe constraints; draws attention to the fact that programmes such as SOCRATES and LEONARDO, frequently referred to in the White Paper as the financial framework for the measures proposed, are already underfunded;

43. Calls therefore on the budgetary authority to increase funding for the LEONARDO and SOCRATES programmes in order to be able to finance the new policy objectives identified in relation to the establishment of the learning society;

44. Calls on the budgetary authority also to discuss in detail the Financial Perspective, and in particular the scope that can be given to heading 3;

45. Does not in fact agree with the Commission's view that no additional resources are needed to meet the challenges of our modern society; supports for instance the proposal for a European Voluntary Service, but points out that it is necessary to provide sufficient financial resources so as not to raise hopes that cannot be fulfilled;

46. Points out that the recognition of qualifications obtained outside mainstream education and training poses great difficulties; calls, therefore, for greater transparency as regards the substance of vocational certificates and the recognition of qualifications at European level;

47. Invites the Commission to investigate the whole area of resources for education and training needs and explore a range of relevant initiatives including tax incentives, active labour market policies, training levies, individual learning accounts, the redirection of resources into measures which prevent educational failure and long-term unemployment, the development of ¨distance learning? with new ICT, the dual use of school and enterprise facilities as learning centres as well as consideration of the treatment of capital investment and investment in training on an equal basis;

48. Calls on the Commission on the basis of Articles 126 and 127 of the EC Treaty and in compliance with Article 3b of the EC Treaty

- to promote research and dissemination of information on measures to prevent school failures, to provide support for communities and teachers specializing in assistance to low achievers, particularly by encouraging active learning, improving the use of ICT in education and training and developing software for interactive learning, and also to devote attention to teacher training as one of the main instruments of lifelong learning, and to the need to develop adult education methods;

- to fund pilot projects and partnerships to assist in the implementation of strategies to build an inclusive learning society, e.g. mentoring schemes for those at risk of exclusion, such as women, the disabled or immigrants,

- to encourage the development of good practice by achieving within the Commission services greater integration and coordination of actions aimed at assisting disadvantaged groups to join the learning society;

49. Considers it important, in view of the development of the information society and its impact on education, that the Commission should adopt a consistent approach and group the various projects in such a way as to link them to the revised proposals for action which it is invited to put forward;

50. Also considers that an effort should be made to mainstream education and training measures in all relevant EU policies and programmes (e.g. Structural Funds and Fourth R& D Framework Programme);

51. Points out that measures aimed at promoting general education and training should be geared more towards eliminating gender-specific disparities;

52. Calls on CEDEFOP, in compliance with its policy guidelines for medium- term priorities (1997-2000), specifically to pursue research into the feasibility, effectiveness and transferability of projects relating to

- the accreditation of skills and

- a European apprenticeship scheme;

53. Calls on the Commission, in the light of the outcome of the above research, to submit, in consultation with the social partners, a detailed proposal for the setting up of a European apprenticeship scheme;

54. Calls on the Commission to use its prerogatives under Article 118b of the EC Treaty to promote a debate among the social partners on practical ways of promoting investment in and the right of access to education and training for the benefit of people both in and out of employment;

55. Calls on the Commission to ensure that the territorial pacts it is helping to establish in all Member States include education and training measures in their employment-creating strategies;

56. Calls on the Commission to review its current plan for action and prepare a more comprehensive and detailed proposal in the light of the many contributions submitted and criticism voiced in relation to the White Paper;

57. Therefore expects the Commission to reconsult this Parliament on its revised plan;

58. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council, the Economic and Social Committee, the Committee of the Regions, the ETUC, UNICE and CEEP.