Resolution of the Council and the ministers of Education meeting within the Council of 14 December 1989 on measures to combat failure at school
Date: 1989-12-14
Institutions: Council of the European Union, Representatives of the Governments of the Member States
Subjects: backwardness at school, education policy, new educational methods, schooling, teaching curriculum













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41990X0206

Resolution of the Council and the ministers of Education meeting within the Council of 14 December 1989 on measures to combat failure at school  


Official Journal C 027 , 06/02/1990 P. 0001 - 0002 





RESOLUTION OF  THE COUNCIL AND THE MINISTERS OF EDUCATION MEETING WITHIN THE COUNCIL of 14 December 1989 on  measures to combat failure at school (90/C  27/01)THE COUNCIL AND THE MINISTERS  FOREDUCATION, MEETING WITHIN THE COUNCIL Convinced that the raising of the general level of  education is one of the principal preconditions for economic, social and cultural development and  for the true operation of a democracy, and that proper education should enable every individual to  achieve independence, become a good citizen and find a place in society and in the world of work;  Noting that failure at school is still affecting too many pupils in Europe, particularly children  from socially and culturally under-privileged groups; that this is a serious problem both for the  individual and collectively; that it leads to an individual failure in psychological and social  terms and results in a high economic cost for Member States and for the Community; Convinced of the  need for reinforcement of the means employed to combat failure at school, by aiming for the best  possible development of each child's capabilities; Aware that the development of the multicultural  dimension in educational systems would allow failure at school to be combated more effectively;  Taking account of:-  the resolution of 9 February 1976 comprising an action programme in the field  of education and more particularly the section concerning the achievement of equal opportunity for  free access to all forms of education,-the conclusions of the Council and of the Ministers for  Education, meeting within the Council, of 14 May 1987 on failure at school and the fight against  illiteracy,-the results of the pilot projects conducted as part of the programmes on young people's  transition from education to working life, Noting:-the Commission communication on Education and  Training in the European Community - Medium-Term Guidelines (1989 to 1992),-the study made at the  request of the Commission on success and failure at school in Europe, highlighting the links  between social and cultural background and educational success as well as the multi-dimensional  aspect of action to be taken to reduce failure at school, HAVE ADOPTED THIS RESOLUTION: 1.    The  Member States, in the framework of their educational policies and constitutional structures, will  make every effort to combat failure at school intensively and to develop their action in one or  other of the following directions:   1.1.  gaining greater knowledge of the phenomenon and of its  causes, whether or not these are related to the educational system;   1.2.diversifying the  strategies and methods proposed;   1.3.strengthening of pre-primary education, which contributes to  a better subsequent performance at school, particularly in the case of children from disadvantaged  backgrounds;   1.4.adapting the working of school systems, in particular by:-  renewing content,  back-up and methods of teaching and assessment,-implementing differentiated education,-improvement  and diversification of timetabling,   -reducing structural or functional breakdowns, by: -   decompartmentalization and interdisciplinary teaching,-educational continuity from one class to  another and from one cycle to another,-better guidance of pupils depending on their wishes and  aptitudes,-organization of 'bridges' between different courses;-introduction of possibilities of  individual assistance (support, tutoring),-diversification of forms of excellence, of equivalent  level, at the end of compulsory schooling or at the end of the secondary cycle and of paths leading  to the corresponding certificates,-staff working in teams,-better initial and continuing training  of staff, as well as general support in their task as teachers,-improving the administration of  schools,-development of teaching of the languages and cultures of children of Community and foreign  origin;   1.5.increasing-the attention paid by schools to the cultural, social and economic  context,-the receptiveness of schools to their environments,-the points of contact with society and  working life;   1.6.arranging for curricular and extra-curricular activities to complement each  other, taking particularly into account factors influencing school results (health, family, sports,  leisure activities);   1.7.selectively increasing educational resources (curricular and  extra-curricular) aimed at the least-favoured sections of the public by means of:-better qualified  staff,-greater material resources;   1.8.mobilizing education managers and all those with  responsibility at local level in a collective effort;   1.9.circulating information on methods of  action and practical achievements; 1.10.initiating or intensifying specific training of those  concerned, whether or not they belong within the educational system. 2.    The Council and the  Ministers for Education, meeting within the Council, hereby take note that the Commission will:-   give wide circulation to the study on success and failure at school in Europe once its final form  has been decided on,-submit as soon as possible the complete report on failure at school in the  Community requested by the Council and the Ministers for Education, meeting within the Council, in  their conclusions of 14 May 1987,-give all necessary assistance and play its full part as a  catalyst in cooperation.The Commission's proposals in this respect will be examined by the  Education Committee. In this connection, so as to contribute to Member States' action on the  question of failure at school, measures could be envisaged at Community level in the following  areas: -  Organization of exchanges of information between Member States on current policies and  practices:-  those responsible for education should be more familiar with the policies applied in  the Member States. They could usefully, at colloquia and working meetings, compare experiments  conducted in the 12 Member States with a view to benefiting from them at the individual national  level, -teachers, researchers and others concerned might also take part in field-study visits to  gain knowledge of innovative methods used in the various countries;-Conducting of detailed studies  by experts: -case studies concerning situations representative of the typical trends of educational  policies of the Member States, -thematic studies across the Member States.