Opinion of the Committee of the Regions on the "Communication from the Commission e-Learning — Designing tomorrow's education"
Date: 2000-12-14
Institutions: European Committee of the Regions
Subjects: European Union, education, educational institution, information society, new technology, vocational training

C 144/34

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Official Journal of the European Communities

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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

society to meet changing requirements involves not only
structural and industrial changes but also cultural and social
ones.

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 tech-
nologies as determining factors in Europe’s future employ-
ment, competitiveness and growth.

Since rapid technological advance is having a profound
1.3.
effect on the global economy, the COR believes that adapting

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

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,
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.

in order to maximise their potential,

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
in
implementing the four components of the initiative relating
to infrastructure, training, content and services, as well as
networking.

and social

actors

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that

the resources of

The COR expresses its satisfaction at the initiative’s
1.6.
proposal
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.

The COR endorses the target of achieving a ratio of
1.7.
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 con-
tribute, 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.

The COR recognises that the current turnaround rate
1.11.
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.

The COR recognises that teachers are at the heart of
1.13.
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 train-
ing, 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.

The COR is pleased to note that the e-Learning
1.15.
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 com-
prehensive and adaptable good quality on-line services incor-
porating 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.
local multipurpose learning centres, accessible to all.

The COR supports developing school networks into

1.19.
Internet site to stimulate exchange of experience.

The COR supports the proposal for an e-Learning

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 assist-
ance, 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.

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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.

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).

The COR urges the Commission to support

2.3.
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 infrastruc-
ture of support.

2. COR recommendations

The Committee once again stresses its view that the
2.1.
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.

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

2.6.
There exists a pan-European network of schools con-
nected through the Internet, currently linking more than
500 establishments, which promotes a virtual
forum for
exchanging information on content and new learning environ-
ments: 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.

2.2.
The COR recognises that the European educational
multimedia industry is undersized. The USA has a significant
lead, with new commercial enterprises setting up in partner-
ship with the most famous universities. Aware that most

The COR recommends involving all

2.8.
training and
educational establishments, linking schools to research insti-
tutes, businesses and public forums such as libraries com-
munity access points and museums thereby promoting univer-
sal access to education and training.

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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