"VAN" (Europe Bureau - Aleksey Vesyoliy) :: We are living through a period of rapid change in an increasingly globalized environment, to which education systems need to adapt, not just through a one-off reform, but continuously. The future scenarios of the political, social, cultural and economic sectors will depend on the contributions of the students of our schools today. Education is a vital human right and plays a key role in human, social, and economic development.
Innovation and technological advances are constantly changing the ways we communicate, work, and live together and education systems which reflect this dynamic will be most capable of responding effectively to the current and changing needs of young people, society and indeed the labour market.
Education is a human right and obtaining a quality education is the foundation to creating sustainable development.
Adopted at the United Nations General Assembly in September 2015, the Global Goals for Sustainable Development frame the global development agenda for 2016-2030. The Global Goal nr. 4 on education aims to "ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all."
The reasons for lack of quality education are due to lack of adequately trained teachers, for example, Europe’s teachers and school professionals need support for ongoing development of their knowledge and skills in a changing world. Poor conditions of schools related to opportunities provided to rural children, investment is needed in teachers training, school building and improvement of water and electricity access to schools. The shift towards transversal competences, multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary learning, new pedagogical approaches as well as increasingly technology-rich and flexible learning environments are challenging schools.
Change is the new constant in education, affected as it is by wider socio-economic and technological developments.
Education - future that is now!
There is no doubt that education enriches people’s understanding of reality and broadens their horizon. It improves the quality of their lives and leads to social benefits both for individuals and the whole society. Education raises people’s productivity and creativity, promoting entrepreneurship and technological advances. Education is a cornerstone in societal development especially in countries facing numerous reforms and conflicts. No country can achieve sustainable economic progress and build a prosperous future without investments in human capital through education and learning. Unfortunately, millions of children and young people around the world live in countries facing war, conflicts, violence and poverty and are deprived of their right to education. During conflict, schools are often destroyed or become unsafe. Students are forced out of school, making them more vulnerable and at risk of violence, forced labor, and permanent displacement without a guarantee that they can go back to school when they arrive at a safer destination.
Delegates of 2nd #EasternPartnership Panel on #Education, #Culture and #Youth visited Future Classroom Lab based in Brussels.
A poor quality education is almost like no education
During the last decade progress has been achieved in enrolling children and young people in school around the world. But it's not enough to get them in school, we also need to ensure that they learn to read, count, and acquire the necessary life skills. Ensuring that children and young people have access to education during conflict and crises protects their rights, fosters resilience, inclusion and tolerance, supporting the long-term processes of peace building and community development. A special focus has to be given to the most vulnerable and marginalized groups (including children and young people living in fragile and conflict-affected countries, children and young people with disabilities and girls) who are most likely to be affected because of a lack of well-trained teachers, inadequate learning materials, and unsuitable education infrastructure.
Skilled teachers are essential to achieve quality education.
Teachers are essential to solving the global learning crisis and closing the gap between poor and good quality education. Therefore, it is vital that all children have teachers that are well-trained, motivated and received salary doesn’t put them at the risk of poverty. It is very important that teachers are supported by well-managed education systems.
Early childhood education is vital to lifelong success
Investing in quality early childhood education brings the highest returns from individuals, societies and countries. Children who have access to quality early childhood programs do better in primary school and will have better education outcomes later. It is vital that countries invest more in affordable early childhood education programs.
Educating girls has a multiplier effect
Educated girls and women tend to be healthier, have fewer children, earn more income and provide better health care for themselves and their future children. These benefits also are transmitted from generation to generation and across communities at large, making girls' education one of the best investments a country can make.
Children with disabilities are often excluded from education systems
In many countries, a combination of discrimination, social attitudes, poverty, lack of political will, and poor quality of human and material resources leave children and young people with disabilities more vulnerable to being excluded from education. It is essential that societies adapt their education systems to ensure that children and young people with disabilities can enjoy their basic human right without discrimination.
Delegates of 2nd #EasternPartnership Panel on #Education, #Culture and #Youth visited Future Classroom Lab based in Brussels and learned about European Schoolnet and STEM education.
Education in every sense is one of the fundamental factors of economic development. No country can achieve sustainable economic development without substantial investment in human capital. Education enriches people's understanding of themselves and world. It improves the quality of their lives and leads to broad social benefits to individuals and society. Education raises people's productivity and creativity and promotes entrepreneurship and technological advances. In addition it plays a very crucial role in securing economic and social progress and improving income distribution.
Delegates of 2nd #EasternPartnership Panel on #Education, #Culture and #Youth visited Future Classroom Lab based in Brussels.
What is STEM education? Why is STEM education important?
STEM is a curriculum based on the idea of educating students in four specific disciplines — science, technology, engineering and mathematics — in an interdisciplinary and applied approach. Rather than teach the four disciplines as separate and discrete subjects, STEM integrates them into a cohesive learning paradigm based on real-world applications.
The lack of young people choosing STEM studies and careers continues to be a major challenge facing Europe. Education can play a major role in partnership with business and other stakeholders to help increase interest in STEM studies and occupations. The need to foster STEM talent in young people so they can become the much needed STEM professionals in the near future.
Education in digital society
In an increasingly digital world, schools play a key role in preparing and informing students about their rights and responsibilities as digital citizens. The digital society places new expectations and responsibilities on education and its major actors, school leaders, teachers and pupils. It not only concerns the place and use of new technology, but also the knowledge, skills and values which come into play when it is used inside and outside of the classroom. This brings both challenges and opportunities. Technology can compound existing inequalities and often there is a ‘digital gap’ between access to technology at school and at home and in other environments.
The digital society places new expectations and responsibilities on education and its major actors, school leaders, teachers and pupils, not only as regards the place and use of new technology but also on the values which come into play when it is used inside and outside the classroom. This brings both challenges and opportunities. To make the most of digital opportunities, schools need to ensure that digital citizenship is framed in the students’ interest. Education should not only allow pupils to engage, but also empower them to participate as citizens in a genuine and meaningful way.
Digital technologies are a significant focus of European Schoolnet’s work because of the critical role they play in terms of designing and implementing future classroom scenarios and supporting new forms of learning both in and out of school.
Living in a digital society there is a growing need to foster and promote the development of digital competence among teachers, to make sure education systems keep pace with rapid technological developments, in turn preparing pupils for evolving societal demands, both in work and life.
Digital citizenship is a multi-faceted concept, covering various dimensions:
• Media and digital literacy
• Digital competence
• Digitisation of education
Modern technologies are changing the nature of education, and the role and responsibility of schools in response to societal hopes and concerns. In this regard, the challenges now faced by the digitisation of education must also be properly addressed to behave responsibly. It all requires new initiatives to help develop an inclusive education system and equip teachers and students with the culture and tools needed to function effectively in a digital society.
Why is school networking important ?
One of the founding principles of European Schoolnet when it was established in 1998 was to enable schools and teachers across Europe to become part of an interconnected system, benefiting from the experience of the most innovative schools and nurturing the less advanced ones, for the benefit and growth of the whole network. For this reason, since its beginning, European Schoolnet has been involved in pan-European school networking activities, which prepared the ground for the development of eTwinning, a European Union initiative, which today is the largest community for schools in Europe. eTwinning Plus is an expansion of the network to eight neighbouring countries.
Networking is about growing together
In 2018, European Schoolnet continued to provide the Central Support Service for eTwinning, funded under the Erasmus+ programme, on behalf of the European Commission. eTwinning is a vibrant community that during in its 13 years of existence has impacted on 638,000 teachers working in 218,000 schools. In 2018, 74,000 teachers were involved in at least one project, involving more than two million students across the continent.
Collaboration between schools remains one of the most efficient, cost-effective and sustainable ways of improving teaching and learning at classroom and teacher level. Communities of practice, peer and online learning – all elements offered by our initiatives - are highly effective means of sharing and spreading inspiring innovative practices.
There will be an increasing focus on connecting the school with its community. This is certain to provide education ministries with opportunities to explore new teaching and learning models and to support new forms of collaboration between formal, non-formal and informal education providers.
Sustainable, large-scale transformation of regular teaching and learning practices requires changes in the practices themselves and the development of implementation capacity to support those practices in education systems.
The future scenarios of the political, social, cultural and economic sectors will depend on the contributions of the students of our schools today. More than ever before, education must be visionary and future-oriented, in the face of stunning scientific and technological innovations and changes, unprecedented socio-economic challenges and opportunities, surprising socio-political reforms, and amazing cultural reawakening.
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Publication author: Sintija Bernava,
European Union Coordinator, Working Group 4 “Contacts between people” (WG4) of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum (EaP CSF)
Chairwoman of the Board, Non Governmental Organization "DONUM ANIMUS" (Latvia)
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