OBESSU reaction to Rethinking Education Communication
The European Commission’s Communication Rethinking Education: Investing in skills for better socio-economic outcomes aims at offering European decision-makers and citizens the opportunity to challenge the current education systems. OBESSU believes that it is fundamental and very much needed to review our education paradigms and to invest in European citizens’ present and future.
OBESSU welcomes the acknowledgement by the Commission of education as a crucial solution to the crisis Europe is facing. We believe school students should play a fundamental role in the development of educational policies since they are most affected by those policies. Unfortunately, the Communication fails in recognising education as a human right, answering to the different learners’ needs, and leaving a space for personal development and fulfilment. The Commission’s document, instead, focuses mainly on the idea of education as producer of workforce, responding solely to labour market’s needs. We therefore believe that the communication serves as only one small step of a much more comprehensive strategy and that educational policies at both European and national level should be further developed in partnership with those mainly affected by Education: learners.
Learning and learners
The belief that education and training are ways to increase active participation, personal development and well-being and the necessity for changes in various learning methods that the Communication calls for are all perspectives gladly embraced by OBESSU. Amongst the proposed changes in learning methods are: learning based on a structured dialogue with students in the tailoring of curricula, personalisation and collaboration in classrooms, use of ICT and OER. We believe those are all measures indeed necessary to build up an education of higher-quality. Furthermore, we appreciate the recognition that the Commission makes in the need for reforms to prevent early school leaving, such as replacing repetition or ability grouping with increased learning support. We are also glad to see steps in complementing traditional learning such as the recognition and validation of non-formal and informal education, encouragement in gaining hands-on experiences in the workplace and the promotion of learners’ mobility. Yet, more efforts from all stakeholders involved are needed for the concrete implementation of those practices.
What concerns school students the most is the fact that the Commission urges educational institutions to adapt education and training to the demands of the labour market, and not to the learners themselves, neglecting a learner-centred approach. The labour market has been given the role to dictate what kind of education is imparted, something that is very alarming since it threatens the fulfilment of the real needs of learners and their expression of their personal interests and talents. Learner-centred education must be the main guideline given to educational institutions.
When it comes to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), we are glad to see that the Commission has made the effort in increasing its understanding of the need for career pathways for STEM students after graduation. The Commission has also taken notice of the generalised unattractiveness of STEM studies for women. We however call for the Commission and the Member States to find ways in which the gender challenge can be overcome. Breaking societal stereotypes that prevent many female learners in engaging with STEM, and male learners in avoiding traditionally female educational paths and careers is needed. Effort should be devoted to overcome these prejudices that inhibit students from attending educational paths that are stereotypically not associated with their gender by society.
Vocational Education and Training
Vocational Education and Training (VET) faces a lot of challenges and major investments are needed in order to reach high quality programmes and improve the value and reputation of VET in society. Therefore, we support the efforts partially mentioned in the Communication, to enable access to both academia and vocational third-level education to those with a degree in initial VET. However, the Communication also calls for targeted investments in VET in order to react to the regional economic context, especially the labour market. OBESSU believes that VET must never become a machinery to produce taxpayers or ready-to-use workers for employers! VET programs must aim to accommodate learners’ interests and their personal self-fulfilment, and thus external demands must never be prioritized. The context in which “increasing the relevance and quality of VET” is placed in the Communication reflects the opinion that a relevant and high-quality VET is only the one that obeys the demands of the labour market, something that seriously violates the learners’ right for education aiming at personal and societal development and at acquiring skills for life.
Skills
Throughout the Communication, only the skills needed by the labour market are referred to as the “right” skills. OBESSU strongly disagrees with this characterisation. The business sector should not dictate education curricula just to produce the workforce it requires. The only mismatch that European school students are facing is that of their own demands and the offer delivered by educational institutions. It must also be taken into consideration that, with our fast-changing world and innovations, it is extremely difficult to assess skills which will be needed in 10 years, thus we need to concentrate on an education which aims at developing citizens able to learn, to adapt and to think critically.
First of all, more efforts should be dedicated to those skills that school students feel relevant for their development. A greater focus should also be given to transversal competences, critical thinking, problem solving and entrepreneurial skills. Yet, entrepreneurship education does not only translate in business creation, but is much broader and includes sense of initiative, self-confidence, creativity and innovation.
The recognition of skills is a very important process which needs to be improved, also including skills and competences acquired outside of formal education, for example through non-formal education, involvement in youth work or volunteering. Yet we must avoid that the whole discourse about skills and their recognition stigmatise school students and young people, leading them to feel inadequate for today’s society and the labour market. Unfortunately, very often, skills recognition which is constantly referred to, shifts the problem from the labour market to students, making them feel guilty, insufficient and unprepared for jobs.
Transition from education to employment
We support practices allowing for a smoother transition from education to employment. OBESSU is ready to partner with the Commission in order to reach the widespread implementation of the Youth Guarantee in all Member States as a response to youth unemployment, just as it is encouraged in the Communication. Efforts must be put in providing quality traineeships and apprenticeships and we are glad to see the Commission recognising this need.
It is, yet, important not to burden education with the responsibility of employers’ and the labour market. Those cannot expect to have ready-made workers the first day on the job, but must invest in on the job training and mentoring schemes.
Funding in education
OBESSU strongly criticizes the proposed systems for funding in education included in the Communication. Financial challenges within educational systems caused by governments’ budget cuts cannot be resolved through reforms involving management from the private sector. OBESSU firmly believes that education should always remain a governmental responsibility and a public service, reflecting the interests of the society and not those of private actors. Moreover, public funds should not be targeted especially at sectors with growing labour force needs, as this is not the main factor that should influence decisions in funds allocation for education. Furthermore, instead of promoting partnerships between public and private institutions to ensure relevant curricula, partnerships between school students, their organisations and educational institutions should be established. The involvement of school students and their representatives will ensure the relevance of the curricula to learners’ needs and at the same time improve educational democracy. This is why we urge the Commission to stress the involvement of learners and prioritize their voice in decision-making when it comes to curricula and other educational issues.
When talking about funding of education, the new strategy must find alternatives to the cuts that have been and are still being implemented by so many Member States. The Commission has, on numerous occasions, invited governments to invest in education and stop the cuts. Yet, the Communication refers only to “Europe’s skills base” as being affected and not education as a whole throughout Europe. “Any under-spending today will inevitably have serious consequences in the medium to long term for Europe’s skills base. “ – this suggests that the learning outcomes of education are only part of a “base” available to employers; it neither recognises the true values of education, nor how much cuts in education affect these values. Moreover the view presented in the document is extremely narrow: under-spending will have serious consequences not only on Europe’s skills base and even not only on education but on the society as a whole.
The way forward
We hope that there will be space for further improvements in educational policies at EU and national level and that the suggestions and concerns expressed in this reaction will be considered in carrying on with further steps in reaching high-quality education in Europe. OBESSU is more than willing to take active part in the future development of those processes and we believe that strong cooperation and partnerships between decision-makers and learners’ representatives in education is the only way to increase the knowledge, skills, abilities and social competences of European citizens.
For more information, please contact the OBESSU Board at board@obessu.org
You can download the OBESSU reaction to Rethinking Education Communication here.
