Debate: Shaping digital education policy
Date: WEDNESDAY, 24 MARCH 2021
Speaker: Virginijus Sinkevičius
Language: EN

The European Parliament and the European Commission are closely aligned in their ambition to achieve high-quality, inclusive digital education across the Union. Therefore, the Commission warmly welcomes the support of the European Parliament for the digital education action plan 2021—2027. We had a challenging year, and the crisis is not over yet. Despite years of continuous work on digital education, education and training was one of the sectors most affected by the COVID-19 crisis. When it comes to distance learning, Member States showed different levels of preparedness and it is estimated that at least 100 million learners in Europe were affected by the crisis, especially young pupils. The crisis was also the first distance-teaching experience of most teachers and educators. Parents also found it difficult to find a balance between supporting their children and working from home. The lessons are clear. Firstly, there is a pressing need for more comprehensive, ambitious and long—term digital policies to ensure that all necessary conditions for digital education are in place – infrastructure, equipment, strategies, online learning content and adequate teacher training and pedagogies – and that people of all ages and backgrounds have the necessary digital skills and competences to live and thrive in the digital age. Secondly, there is a need to focus on implementing these policies. With the recovery ahead of us, all citizens need to be ready to take an active part in the growing digital economy and society. This is the approach the Commission took when adopting the digital education action plan which is built around two priorities: the development of a high-performing digital education ecosystem and the enhancement of digital skills and competences for the digital transition. The action plan contributes to the objectives of the European education area, the skills agenda, the recently adopted European Pillar of Social Rights action plan and the new digital decade communication. Through the digital education action plan, the Commission demonstrates its commitment to promoting digital education in an inclusive and lifelong-learning manner, fostering the development of digital skills and competences, including digital literacy and computer science. This extends to individuals who may already have left the formal education and training system and who may need help during the precarious school—to—work and job—to—job transition. That is also where our youth employment support comes into play, and in particular its strengthened Youth Guarantee, with a strong focus on helping unemployed or inactive young people reach a minimum level of digital skills. The recently adopted Council recommendation on vocational education and training also puts a strong emphasis on the importance of digital provision of education and training. It foresees that vocational education and training institutions should have access to state-of-the-art infrastructure and have digitalisation strategies in place. As a first deliverable of the digital education action plan in 2021, the Commission will propose a Council recommendation on distance and online learning. It will outline ways in which Member States could adapt their school systems to be more flexible and inclusive of a broad range of learner needs, changing circumstances and pedagogical approaches. The strategic dialogue with Member States on the enabling factors for successful digital education that will be launched this year will contribute to the discussion on how to address gaps in digital education. In response to other important challenges, such as the use of artificial intelligence and data in education and the infodemic that accompanied the COVID-19 pandemic, the Commission has started work on ethical guidelines for teachers on artificial intelligence and data in education and training, as well as common guidelines on digital literacy and addressing disinformation. With the digital education action plan, we have clearly outlined the strategic and long—term importance of digital education for the digital transformation in Europe and the need to act now. The strategic importance of digital education is further reflected in the recently adopted digital decade communication. In this communication, the Commission identified a digitally skilled population, widespread high-speed connectivity and the need for an effective digital education ecosystem as part of the long-term vision for the third decade of the 21st century. The communication has digital skills as one of its four pillars and also refers to the principle of universal digital education and skills for people to take an active part in society and in democratic processes. The digital education action plan and the digital decade communication are a clear sign of the synergies and complementarity that must be ensured across digital policies. To achieve our objective, however, we need to ensure that high-quality, inclusive digital education is a shared responsibility for our whole society. This calls for targeted efforts, including investments at European, national and regional level, and the active engagement of all stakeholders, policymakers, the education and training community, civil society and of course the private sector. We also need stronger cooperation at EU level. One way to achieve this is through the digital education hub. The hub will be the interface for digital education at European level. Investing in digital education is at the core of long-term, effective digital education policies. At European level, Erasmus+, Horizon Europe, the Connecting Europe facility, Digital Europe and the Cohesion Fund support the creation of the digital education ecosystem and boost digital skills and competences. However, the key instrument in the short term is without any doubt the Recovery and Resilience Facility, which is at Member States’ disposal to directly address the areas where more support is needed. Twenty per cent of the budget of the Recovery and Resilience Facility is dedicated to the Digital Transition. It’s already encouraging that digital education and skills are supported widely in the draft recovery and resilience plans submitted by Member States, and I’m delighted that Parliament is calling on Member States to invest even more. The Commission remains committed to continue working with the Parliament in the implementation of the digital education action plan and to ensure that European education and training in the digital age are built on quality and resilience, and work for all citizens.