Education and Europe

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Education and Europe: how to grasp global and interconnected problems.

by Fernando Salvetti and Barbara Bertagni

«J’ai poursuivi mes études sans jamais les rattraper», Alphonse Allais, at the end of the 19th century, used to tell about himself in the persona of the writer. We can tell his story today, while thinking of the educational system that we know.In too many cases deux et deux font cinq. OECD countries spend over 80,000 USD per student during primary and secondary education. Though when we look at the results… Pas de bile! Across OECD countries, governments are seeking policies to make education more effective, while searching for additional resources to meet the increasing demand for education.

It is not possible anymore to continue offering education in the traditional way. If the educational institutions (schools and universities, first of all) do not adjust their methods, they will run the risk of being marginalized by the new trends of knowledge production and sharing: from peer to peer production to experiential learning, without omitting the home-schooling experience.

The question of skills is vital. And the question of efficiency in education is equally important. Let us focalize on the European Union. Though there are many examples of successful schools across the European Union, there are also signs that more work needs to be done on improving the literacy of 15-year-olds, reducing the number of those leaving school early and improving the completion rate of upper secondary education. All of which are key benchmarks in the Union's Lisbon Strategy for growth and jobs. At present (according to the European Commission working paper on schools for the 21st century – 11.07.2007): •

One fifth of under 15-year-olds attain only the lowest level of proficiency in reading.

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Almost 15% of 18 – 24-year-olds leave school prematurely.

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Only 77% of 22-year-olds have completed upper secondary education.

Education lies at the center of efforts to improve the Union's competitiveness and social cohesion.

Some of the most important questions and challenges which have the greatest significance for the wellbeing of individuals and the good of society relate to the quality of initial education and training.

In light of these preliminary statements, there follows the need of re-orientating the typology of the participants as financial aid granted by the European Union through the new financial assigning programs with, a higher share of such funds to compulsory education, according to logics answering a series of questions. Crucial questions are: what type of competences do we need to live and understand the knowledge society and the digital economy? How do the students acquire the capacity of taking their own responsibility for their personal course of continuous learning?

The 21st century society is really different from the society for which the education system, that we are about to change, was planned. In the present scenario, the primary economic resources are not the financial capital and neither is work itself or the natural resources, but the relationships,

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knowledge and the human and intellectual capital. Knowledge, abilities , imagination and the networking used to share experiences, competences and the ability of learning which is more important than physical, technological and financial capital, traditionally at the center of economic and organizational scenarios.

The role of individuals becomes central as a resource, where the professional identity calls for not only technical abilities, but also a human capital that must be built and rebuilt all through life.

Therefore, the characteristics requested of "new" workers are changing. They are not only asking for general knowledge, but also a willingness to learn, the ability to comprehend signs of change and react to problems, flexibility and unemployment. Traditional competences must be added today to the general and cross competences (or metacompetences), that allow the worker to move in diminishing ruled contexts.Also, e-competence has become a term and a request, more and more present both in our working scenarios and private lives.

The need to educate people with high qualifications, on the basis of the local culture, has to be compared with the need to supply the fundamental competences in order to face a society without borders and the world. All this is true considering the main job market transformations that emphasize the importance of knowledge circulation into a logic which aims at training individuals with concern to both the work related/productive sphere as well as with respect to their personal and social growth (empowerment and self-empowerment) as active subjects, responsible and able to call themselves into question, concerning employment markets that are mobile, fluid, flexible and “precarious.”

The active and inter-subjective learning, as well as the network knowledge and the networking, becomes the center around which the training setting-out rotates, in a perspective that remarks its constructive nature.Every subject applies himself in the building of his abilities, gains awareness of his point of view, in a continuous organizational and re-organizational activity of his own knowledge and competences, in a process during which the person has an active role, focusing in detail on his way to learn and on how learning is built.

But beware of thinking about education just considering skills, efficiency and effectiveness, rather than the usefulness required in the job markets or competitiveness amongst governmental and socioeconomic systems.

Education, is above all a question of life, wellbeing, self-esteem and self-accomplishment, both personal and professional. And these are dimensions which concern us even prior to inclusion in compulsory education. Inside the locket was a mirror, and in the mirror was her very reflection.

“Why, it’s me!” she thought. “It’s really me. I’m the magic in the locket.” From then on, the little girl wore the locket every day. Every day she held the locket tightly and whispered, “I believe in you” The locket was filled with her own special magic and from that day on she was never without it .

There is evidence that high-quality pre-school programs that focus on learning as well as personal and social competences have long-lasting benefits for pupils’ achievement and socialization at school and in later life, especially for the most disadvantaged, particularly, if they are followed up with interventions such as support for language learning and social adjustment. Despite this, provision of early learning and pre-school education varies widely between Member States.

Furthermore, though no school system provides the same quality of education for all, the range of

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disparities between students differs widely among countries, suggesting that there is still scope for improvement in this area.

Education is a question which should be addressed even before compulsory education, perhaps, starting from intrauterine development, certainly in the first years of childhood and during that crucial period of life which in our society corresponds usually to nursery-school.

There are many theories and reference learning, as well as orientations and discussions. Without entering into the subject, I believe it would be useful to underline that the question that we should have in mind quite often is: which kindergarten for our children? The most important period of life is not the period of university studies, but the first one, the period from birth to the age of six. For, that is the time when man’s intelligence itself, his greatest implement, is being formed. But this not only encompasses his intelligence; it includes the full totality of his psychic powers.

Perhaps in the knowledge society we shall continue to poursuivre our studies without necessarily catching them up, even after some good reform of the organization of learning, which is getting more and more disjointed, subdivided and inadequate to face problems requiring multidisciplinary (and multiethnic?) approaches.

Most certainly it would be appropriate to promote learning courses and knowledge forums that would enable us more and more to grasp global and interconnected problems, so that we insert therein the partial and local knowledge we dispose of.

Even before this, it would be appropriate “to teach the grasp� of both ourselves and others. A course that starts from self-esteem and then goes onto the esteem and respect of others would be appropriate. And our planet needs mutual comprehension in all possible meanings.