Opinion of the Committee of the Regions on the "Report from the Commission: The Concrete Future Objectives of Education Systems"
Date: 2001-09-19
Institutions: European Committee of the Regions
Subjects: education, education policy, right to education, teaching

22.1.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 19/23

Opinion of the Committee of the Regions on the ‘Report from the Commission: The Concrete
Future Objectives of Education Systems’

(2002/C 19/08)

THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS,

having regard to the report from the Commission to the Council — the concrete future objectives of
education systems (COM(2001) 59 final);

having regard to the decision of the Commission of 26 April 2001, under the first paragraph of Article
265 of the Treaty establishing the European Community, to consult it on this matter;

having regard to the decision taken by its President of 11 June 2001, to draw up an opinion on this
matter and to instruct Commission 7 (Education, Vocational Training, Culture, Youth, Sport & Citizens’
rights) to undertake the preparatory work;

having regard to the conclusion of the March 2000 European Council conclusion ‘to undertake a general
reflection on the concrete future objectives of education systems, focusing on common concerns and
priorities while respecting national diversity’;

having regard to the European Commission communication on ‘e-learning’ (COM(2000) 318 final);

having regard to the European Commission memorandum on lifelong learning (COM(2000) 1832 final);

having regard to the CoR Opinion ‘Memorandum on lifelong learning’ (CdR 19/2001 fin) (1);

having regard to the CoR opinion on ‘e-learning — designing tomorrow’s education’ (CdR 314/2000
fin) (2);

having regard to the draft opinion (CdR 89/2001 rev. 2) adopted by Commission 7 on 29 June 2001
(rapporteur: Mr O’Neachtain, IRL-EA);

whereas education and training have an input into achieving European social and economic cohesion;

whereas the need to ensure equal access to education must be addressed;

whereas the rapid changes in technologies have a major impact on society and the workplace;

whereas the varied institutional approaches to education and training, must be recognised throughout
the European Union;

whereas there is an absolute need to ensure the elimination of illiteracy;

whereas the rapidly changing skills needs of business and employers generally must be taken into account,

adopted the following opinion at its 40th plenary session of 19 and 20 September 2001 (meeting of 19
September).

The Committee of the Regions

2.

Supports the five concrete objectives defined which can
form the basis for Authorities across the Union to work
together in the medium term.

1. Welcomes the publication of this report on ‘The Concrete

Future Objectives of Educational Systems’.

(1) OJ C 357, 14.12.2001, p. 36.
(2) OJ C 144, 16.5.2001, p. 34.

3.

Regrets that the municipal and regional authorities, which
frequently shoulder political and financial responsibility
for the education sector in the Member States, were not

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involved in framing the five objectives;
it urges the
Commission in future to involve the local and regional
authorities in updating objectives and/or in framing new
objectives for the Member States’ education systems.

13. Asks the Commission to further enhance and promote
programmes of transnational short-term placement of
teachers, a system such as year-long sabbaticals available
in cycles of 7-10 years would improve the method of
exchange of good practice.

4. Deems it essential that all young persons receive a high
standard of basic skills including social skills before
leaving the educational system.

5. Wishes to see stated as an absolute goal of the Union that
‘no young person should exit the educational system at
whatever age without being able to read and write
competently’.

6. Would like a renewed emphasis on Mathematics and
Science subjects and measures put in place to attract
young persons to study these subjects in second and third
level educational institutions given that in some regions
there is a decreasing number of students studying these
subjects. This must not however mean neglecting the
humanities subjects, as they are a means of providing
pupils with a mature critical capacity that can be applied
to any field of thought.

7.

Recognises a potential problem in young persons leaving
the educational system at an early age to take up
employment in low opportunity jobs.

8. Wishes to see a major emphasis on skills training and the
on-going identification and provision of new skills as
required in the workplace. A particular emphasis is
needed on information and communications
tech-
nologies as they are essential in the modern workplace.
Schemes such as work placements would facilitate this
objective.

9. Advocates a cooperative approach to trade apprenticeship
and a renewed emphasis on high-level apprenticeship
programmes.

14. Agrees with the five main concerns of Member States:
Quality, Access, Content, Openness and Effectiveness of
Educational Systems.

15. Suggests that, given the need for greater social cohesion,
access for all citizens of all ages to educational systems
and opportunities should be the top priority for Europe.

16. Supports the promotion of lifelong learning and wishes
to ensure that new competencies such as ICT skills etc.
are incorporated into the process.

17. Sees new technologies as tools which can enhance the
quality of all teaching, learning and education generally.

18. While, once again stressing the absolute importance of
literacy and numeracy skills, believes that the schooling
and education systems must also foster the development
in young people of the qualities of creativity, confidence,
self-esteem, solidarity and democratic respect, which will
enable them to develop and function as good citizens
throughout their lives and which will motivate them to
have a lifelong interest in learning and education.

19. Urges schools and educational institutions at all levels to
see their roles in terms not only of the full-time students
but also of the wider community. All the structures and
resources of education systems must be regarded and
offered as resources which are available to entire local
communities.

10. Recommends that a systematic programme of updating
skills and mutual recognition of standardised trade qualifi-
cations be put in place across the EU.

20. Recognises a special need to apply and maximize the use
and benefits of education systems to support capacity
building and development of resources within peripheral
rural and maritime regions of Europe.

11. Wishes to see the learning difficulties of special groups
including gifted children, slow learners etc. being recog-
nised in the document, with the objective being that no
young person should be denied access to appropriate
learning programmes for social, economic or infrastruc-
ture reasons.

12. Restates the need to train teachers to ensure that new
immigrants can be educated in mainstream systems.

21. Wishes to use schools and education systems to increase
awareness of and promote local and indigenous cultures
and languages. This is especially necessary within regions
of lesser used languages and minority cultures.

22. Deems it necessary that schools and education institutions
be encouraged and supported to promote and develop
greater environmental awareness at local community and
regional levels across Europe.

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23. Wishes that education systems would integrate into their
programmes, social, economic and historical awareness
of the European Union and its institutions.

24. Urges renewed efforts to focus on the ways in which
education can be made more attractive for citizens of
all ages. Current participation by older, non-traditional
students in education varies very much across Europe.

25. Recognises the need for a new Europe-wide social
partnership and contract, which will promote investment
in education and training for all citizens (particularly the
most excluded).

26. Asks the Commission to consider the issue of paid

educational leave for workers across the Union.

27. Urges Member States to enhance and expand education
systems across Europe in ways that will develop, to a
uniformly high standard, the skills and competencies of
citizens of all Member States. A central part of this
enhancement must include greater support and recog-
nition for the professional role of teachers and educators
and enhancement of the status of our teachers who
play a critical role in national economic and social
development.

28. Supports the call for a strengthening of the links between
the business world and educational and training insti-
tutions. These links should endeavour to ensure that
students receive the appropriate skills needed for modern
day employment. Care is necessary to ensure that there is
not a narrowing of skills being taught. Given the rapid
change of modern economies, this could result in medium
term problems or reduced flexibility in the workforce.

29. Strongly supports the emphasis on developing a spirit of
enterprise and innovation. This must be encouraged in
young people in the formal educational system and from
a young age.

Brussels, 19 September 2001.

30. Endorses the Commissions view that there are adequate
objectives identified and also that all objectives would
benefit from a process of peer review and exchange of
good practice and some attempt at comparison of
progress. These processes are to be the central elements
of the open method of coordination.

31. Proposes that the open method of co-ordination should
identify and diffuse good policy practice across the Union
while taking into account its adaptability in different
national and regional contexts.

32. Proposes that priority be given to the areas of basic
skills, mathematics and science and information and
communication technologies when a work programme
is being launched.

33. Recognises the different institutional arrangements in
Member States, but nevertheless supports efforts in
identifying progress in implementing the objectives across
Europe.

34. Requests

that any proposed system of evaluation,
encompassing indicators and benchmarking, should be
referred to the Committee of the Regions before its final
adoption.

35. While supporting assessment of progress based on quali-
tative indicators, wishes to ensure that any progression
index takes account of both differences in starting points
and socio-economic background.

36. Recommends that the resources and mechanisms are put
in place to enable all students, regardless of starting point
or socio-economic background, achieve European wide
agreed standards.

37. Proposes that the overall goal of education systems across
Europe should be to produce learned citizens who are
not only literate and numerate, but who are competent
and confident personally, socially, culturally, environ-
mentally and technologically and who are vocationally
and professionally competent in their place of work.

The President

of the Committee of the Regions

Jos CHABERT