Opinion of the Committee of the Regions on the "Communication from the Commission e-Learning - Designing tomorrow's education"

(2001/C 144/10)

THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS,

having regard to the Communication from the Commission on e-Learning - Designing tomorrow's education (COM(2000) 318 final);

having regard to the decision of its Bureau of 13 June 2000, under the Fifth paragraph of Article 265 of the Treaty establishing the European Community, to draw up an opinion on e-Learning - Designing tomorrow's education and to instruct Commission 7 - Education, Vocational Training, Culture, Youth, Sport and Citizens' Rights to prepare the opinion;

having regard to the Report from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament - Designing tomorrow's education: promoting innovation with new technologies (COM(2000) 23 final);

having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions on the new Socrates, Leonardo and Youth programmes (CdR 226/98 fin)(1);

having regard to the conclusions of the seminar organised by Commission 7 in cooperation with the Autonomous Region of Madeira, on Lifelong learning and access to new technologies;

having regard to the Draft Opinion adopted by Commission 7 on 3 October 2000 (CdR 314/2000) (Rapporteur: Mr Vieira De Carvalho P-EPP),

adopted the following opinion unanimously at its 36th plenary session of 13 and 14 December 2000 (meeting of 14 December ).

1. The Committee of the Regions' views

1.1. The COR welcomes the Commission's proposal on the e-Learning initiative as an important tool in mobilising all relevant actors to speed up changes in education and training systems and match the needs of the new knowledge-based society.

1.2. The COR shares the concerns voiced at the Lisbon European Council on 23-24 March 2000 concerning the urgent need to ensure that the EU does not lag behind in the global knowledge-based economy and is able to meet the demands of the constantly evolving changes in new technologies as determining factors in Europe's future employment, competitiveness and growth.

1.3. Since rapid technological advance is having a profound effect on the global economy, the COR believes that adapting society to meet changing requirements involves not only structural and industrial changes but also cultural and social ones.

1.4. The COR is convinced that creating a learning society based on social cohesion can help meet these new challenges. In this regard, the identification of education and vocational training as key tools in ensuring the integration of digital technologies, in order to maximise their potential, is a precondition for enabling the EU to derive maximum benefit from the opportunities provided, equipping everyone with the skills they need for this digital age.

1.5. The COR welcomes the e-Learning initiative's aim of strengthening partnership between the public and private sectors, educational, training and cultural actors, and those in the contents industry. It also welcomes the special focus on cooperation between economic and social actors in implementing the four components of the initiative relating to infrastructure, training, content and services, as well as networking.

1.6. The COR expresses its satisfaction at the initiative's proposal that the resources of the relevant Community programmes and instruments be focused on a strategic range of actions to bring a European dimension and added value to local, regional and national initiatives.

1.7. The COR endorses the target of achieving a ratio of equipment in EU schools of 5-15 users per multimedia computer by 2004. It notes however that this is a highly ambitious target, to which the European Union should contribute, given the presently widely varying rate which ranges from one computer per 25 to one per 400 pupils.

1.8. The COR feels that schools have a major responsibility in giving learners the skills needed to use new information and communication tools.

1.9. On a world market in which nearly 80 % of online resources come from the USA, the COR recognises the urgency of bridging the technological gap between Europe and the USA in terms of both hardware and software.

1.10. The COR is also concerned at the differences within the EU itself, where the southern countries rate badly in comparison, while the middle part of Europe is 50 % behind the USA.

1.11. The COR recognises that the current turnaround rate in terms of renewal in ICT of around nine months is a driving force in the development of the information society, but poses an enormous cost factor on expenditure.

1.12. The COR applauds the European Commission's initiatives to raise awareness of the need to equip schools, such as through the Netd@ys initiative.

1.13. The COR recognises that teachers are at the heart of success in achieving a learning society and is aware of the importance of the human interface of teacher support, since the new technologies are an important pedagogical tool to support teaching.

1.14. The COR emphasises the need for continuous training, especially given that technical know-how is not static and needs to be refreshed regularly. To this end, teachers must be made more aware of how ICT can be used in teaching while acknowledging, firstly, that the problem of an ageing teaching profession - with most teachers over 45 - can imply a degree of resistance and, secondly, that it is difficult to attract teachers qualified in new technologies.

1.15. The COR is pleased to note that the e-Learning initiative will help highlight innovative educational models under which new technologies will enable new types of relationships between students and teachers to be established.

1.16. The COR recognises the need for provision of comprehensive and adaptable good quality on-line services incorporating training, maintenance and support.

1.17. The COR considers that cross-disciplinary prospects have proved highly effective: building on best practice found in schools, often in language learning, can provide a stimulus in other curriculum areas, especially language-learning.

1.18. The COR supports developing school networks into local multipurpose learning centres, accessible to all.

1.19. The COR supports the proposal for an e-Learning Internet site to stimulate exchange of experience.

1.20. The enormous funding costs involved will be one of the major obstacles to achieving the targets set by the initiative. The COR is convinced that partnerships between the public authorities and industry can help sustain the initiative. In this regard, local and regional authorities can play an important part in promoting private sector support.

1.21. The COR strongly supports EU co-financing support, granted though Structural Fund assistance in eligible regions as well as through the Community's programmes and financial bodies.

1.22. The COR is aware of the major differences in Europe particularly as regards infrastructure, with growing disparities between regions. The COR welcomes Structural Fund assistance, in particular to support the provision of equipment and set up multi-use local centres accessible to everyone. It is important that this assistance should be in addition to existing aid and that it should not involve replacing existing objectives in the target regions.

1.23. The COR believes that all schools must be able to benefit from the Information Society, in particular schools in peripheral isolated or low-population areas and areas facing social problems. The Committee of the Regions recognises the need to build extensive learner and individual support mechanisms through schools and community-based projects involving parents. To this end, the COR considers local and regional authorities to be best placed to ensure equality of access for all and combat exclusion, without prejudice to support from bodies at other decision-making levels.

1.24. In the COR's view, the use of ICT in education must fully reflect at all levels the needs of those who are most disadvantaged, and special attention should be given to the specific needs of children with learning difficulties or disabilities, with a view to reducing the social division between those who have access to ICT and those who do not.

2. COR recommendations

2.1. The Committee once again stresses its view that the processes of change in technology, industry and society and the resulting need for adaptation cannot be construed as a reason for extending the Community's powers in the field of education. Nor does the incorporation of aspects of education into other areas of policy (e.g. economic, employment and social policy) entitle the Community to broaden its objectives and powers in the field of general and vocational education as laid down in Articles 149 and 150 of the EC Treaty.

2.1.1. In stressing the need for effective teacher training and in-service training to incorporate ICT into teaching practices, the COR would argue that investment in such training needs to be stepped up. Community programmes relating to training and further training, especially Socrates and Leonardo, could make a valuable contribution here.

2.1.2. The COR considers that the Commission must take the measures needed to ensure that beneficiaries under these initiatives have access to communication technologies. This means paying for the initial network connection costs and running costs of training centres. It also believes that the possibility of free access for training centres to ICT should be looked into.

2.2. The COR recognises that the European educational multimedia industry is undersized. The USA has a significant lead, with new commercial enterprises setting up in partnership with the most famous universities. Aware that most Internet content comes from the USA, the COR recommends the development of European computer content and services. In order to increase the industry's size, it is essential that the Commission decide on appropriate measures to facilitate up-dating of equipment and speed of data transmission (sufficient bandwidth).

2.3. The COR urges the Commission to support the production and dissemination of high-quality educational software under the Community programmes.

2.4. The COR is convinced that teachers, trainers, learners, parents, industry and the social partners must all be associated in the development of services and software and the infrastructure of support.

2.5. The COR urges that linguistic and cultural diversity be respected in the development of multimedia content, without jeopardising movement towards integration within the European Union.

2.6. There exists a pan-European network of schools connected through the Internet, currently linking more than 500 establishments, which promotes a virtual forum for exchanging information on content and new learning environments: the EUN (European Schoolnet). In the light of this experiment, the COR strongly welcomes the initiative and calls for it to be extended to as many schools as possible.

2.7. Teachers increasingly need easy access to structured exchange and support services and to educational multimedia content. The COR considers it crucially important to devise initiatives facilitating training for trainers and teachers in the new techniques, and to develop services to facilitate levels of interaction via the Internet promoting innovative teaching practices. Similarly, training should be promoted for ICT specialists, either to learn teaching methods and act as support trainers for teachers, or to become experts in developing Internet teaching material, educational software, etc. Working together across the EU to share best practices is vital.

2.8. The COR recommends involving all training and educational establishments, linking schools to research institutes, businesses and public forums such as libraries community access points and museums thereby promoting universal access to education and training.

2.9. The COR recommends obtaining relevant information on objectives achieved in order to follow trends in the use and dissemination of ICT in education and training and to assess progress in attaining targets drawn up by the European Commission for the e-Learning initiative.

2.10. Given the key role of local and regional authorities in the provision and delivery of education and training, the COR believes their involvement in the e-Learning initiative to be essential in order to achieve the targets set.

Brussels, 14 December 2000.

The President

of the Committee of the Regions

Jos Chabert

(1) OJ C 51, 22.2.1999, p. 77.