Stability Pact: WT1 Task Force on Education and Youth Document

The Education and Youth Task Force

Background

The Task Force Education and Youth/Enhanced Graz Process is a network of regional and international key actors in education and youth. Its membership includes international institutions, donor countries, and all SEE countries (represented by the Ministries of Education). The whole network currently gathers over 800 key actors and key institutions and thus is the most comprehensive regional and international network in the field of education and youth. It strongly builds on existing institutional frameworks and expertise, as well as on regional ownership and an inclusive approach.

The Task Force Education and Youth/Enhanced Graz Process actively promotes the issue of education and youth in the region recognising the crucial role those issues play for SEE countries on their way to becoming member states of the European Union.

It supports education reform processes at national and regional levels, lobbies for and facilitates the inclusion of SEE countries into the wider European Area of Education. It does not implement nor impose education reform plans from outside, but promotes the countries’ ownership in the identification of priorities and the implementation of education reform.

Overall Strategic Framework

Education and training play an important role in responding to the challenges of knowledge societies, globalisation and the enlargement process of the EU. This has also been acknowledged by the European Commission and the European Council, which have requested that Education and Training be explicitly recognised as a key priority domain in the Lisbon strategy.

Education and training are not only the key to sustainable development, peace and stability within and among countries but also an indispensable means for SEE countries on their way to be fully integrated in the European Union.

Increased investment in the development of formal and non-formal education is a prerequisite for facilitating the political, economic and social development and integration of the countries of the region into the European mainstream.

While countries and education systems in the region vary greatly, they share the common challenge of having to respond quickly and flexibly to fundamental democratic, economic and social transition processes in difficult financial and political situations.

To address these issues in a focused way the Task Force Education and Youth/Enhanced Graz Process has set two main strategic objectives for its future work:

to continue its support of national education reform efforts in the perspective of the EU integration and
to actively promote regional co-operation at system, expert and civil society level in support of the Stabilisation and Association Processes.

Both aims are fully in line and substantially promote the two main strategic objectives of the Stability Pact for 2003, namely enhanced complementarity with the SAP and regional and cross-border co-operation in the field of education and youth.

Here, regional co-operation is the ideal instrument to pool the accumulated experience and expertise and thus help the countries to learn from each other and contribute to improving the quality of educational reform in each country. Thus regional co-operation provides a clear added value in complementing and supporting national educational strategies and development efforts.
Regional exchange of experience in the SAP and Accession Process helps each SEE country to better orientate within this process, e.g. for benchmarking, and thus facilitates the SAP and Accession Process.
Regional co-operation in education and youth is indispensable for European Integration. For example in the field of Higher Education the creation of regional university networks is necessary to increase student mobility at regional level, to facilitate the recognition of diplomas, to apply the ECTS, all of which are main criteria for the participation of SEE countries in the Bologna Process (aimed at establishing the European Area of Higher Education by 2010).
Furthermore regional co-operation in education and youth is indispensable in order to promote sustainable democratisation and reconciliation processes in and between the countries of South Eastern Europe, e.g. ensuring similar minorities rights in education in SEE countries (access to education, minority languages, representation of minorities in the education system etc.), removing nationalistic stereotypes from textbooks (e.g. in history), fostering good neighbourly relations in creating cross-border networks of Youth NGOs, and, in general, strengthening civil society not only at national, but as well at a cross-border and sub-regional level

CORE ACTIVITIES:

A. Education Reform Initiative of South Eastern Europe (ERI SEE)

With the Enlargement Process of the European Union having progressed substantially, the ”European Perspective” now becomes more relevant for the SAP countries. Education reform in SEE countries should now take even more strongly into account European trends and developments, as meeting the evolving European standards in education will be a precondition for the inclusion into the wider European Area of Education.

Having successfully supported education reform processes in a number of SEE countries by 2002 and the inclusion of SEE countries into the European Union becoming more tangible, the overall TFEY strategy in the field of education and youth now lays a stronger focus on linking both developments more closely.

The Task Force Education and Youth/Enhanced Graz Process together with Senior Officials from South Eastern Europe now proposes an initiative aimed at supporting education reform in South Eastern Europe, taking into account both country-specific needs and demands in education reform as well as present trends in the development of the envisaged European Area of Education.

The Education Reform Initiative of South Eastern Europe (ERI SEE) will serve as an interface between ongoing SEE education reform at national level and European trends in order to achieve common European standards in education i.e. the EU “Detailed Work Programme on the follow-up of the objectives of education and training systems in Europe”, which defines 3 strategic goals and 13 associated objectives to be achieved by EU and accession countries by 2010, the ”Bologna Process” and the “Copenhagen Process”.

It supports SEE countries in the transition period and helps them improve the achievements attained so far in their integration into the European mainstream.

The detailed action plan of the ERI SEE, identifying 9 priority areas for educational reform, was endorsed on the occasion of the Second Working Meeting of Senior Officials from SEE in Predeal/Romania in May, 2003.

ERI SEE Priorities:

The following priority areas for education development and reform are based on the recommendations of two meetings of Senior Officials from Education Ministries in South Eastern Europe held in Vienna (December 2002) and Predeal (May 2003). These priorities specifically address the most important educational needs in the region. They are fully in line with the three strategic goals identified by the European Commission for the “Detailed Work Programme on the Follow-up of the Objectives of Education and Training Systems in Europe” as well as the Copenhagen Declaration and the Bologna Process.

Adjustment and review of existing national legal frameworks in line with ongoing European developments and national reform priorities;
Decentralisation of education management and administration, with a focus on quality enhancement and accountability;
Development of education management information systems and quality assurance mechanisms
Curriculum reform in line with European trends and developments
Widening access to quality education and ensuring equal opportunities - taking account of gender equality - for national minorities, especially Roma communities, and other disadvantaged groups including members of low income groups, people with disabilities, citizens from isolated rural communities, etc.
Promotion of education for democratic citizenship in both formal and non-formal education programmes
Ensuring access to, and effective use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
Development of opportunities for lifelong learning as a key means to stimulate economic regeneration in the region
VET, especially establishing links between education and labour market;

The following instruments are envisaged to facilitate implementation:

regular meetings of Senior Officials from Ministries of Education and Higher Education from SEE and other European countries including representatives of the civil society within the framework of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe Task Force Education and Youth. These meetings will serve as a forum to exchange experience made in the reform implementation, to foster support partnerships, to discuss issues of regional concern and to formulate joint recommendations on education reform and on concrete action plans and timetables,
peer reviews for the participating SEE countries drawing on expertise from organisations such as OECD, ETF, EUA, Council of Europe, World Bank, NGOs and other independent actors in this field,
capacity building measures in key areas of educational reform,
mapping and setting up a database of good practice examples in the region in the framework of the South Eastern European Educational Co-operation Network (SEE-ECN),
support through existing networks (e.g. the South Eastern European Educational Co-operation Network and its nodes) to build capacity and to strengthen the dissemination of information on education development and reform both in South Eastern European countries and on a wider European level,
twinning of institutions and development of institutional and academic partnerships

The Initiative should be flexible according to the individual pace of implementation of the participating countries. A final date for orientation, however, is the year 2010. This is a target date for both EU countries to achieve objectives of the EU and for the countries participating in the Bologna process to achieve the goals of the Bologna Declaration.

Supporting the idea of regional ownership, the overall co-ordination of the ERI SEE is envisaged to be transferred to the region by the end of 2004, through establishment of a regional secretariat. On the occasion of the 8th Conference of European Ministers of Education in Oslo (24/25 June 2004) the signatory Ministries of the ERI SEE Memorandum of Understanding and the Task Force Education and Youth selected Croatia to host the ERI SEE Secretariat for a period of three years.

B. International Conference on “Governance and Education for Sustainable Development and European Integration”, Graz, 27-29 January 2005

Background of the Conference

Six years after the establishment of the Graz Process and five years after the Graz Process was charged with the co-ordination of the Task Force Education and Youth by the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe, it is time to reflect on the current challenges and future perspectives of education development in the region.

To further facilitate and discuss the growing impact of education reform on economic and social development in South Eastern Europe and to facilitate co-operation among key actors in education, economy, social affairs and other areas of reform, the Task Force Education and Youth is organising an international conference in Graz on January 27–29, 2005. This conference will reconsider the role of education for democratisation, stability and economic development in the region as well as for its inclusion into an Enlarged Europe.

The conference will convene decision-makers from Ministries of Education, Finance, Economy, European Integration, Labour and Social Affairs from SEE, parliamentarians from the region involved in education issues, representatives from European institutions and international organisations, Stability Pact Co-ordinators, education experts and representatives from the media to provide a wide platform for discussion on governance in education for economic development, social cohesion, innovation, culture and diversity in view of European integration.

Rather than reflecting the current status of education in South Eastern Europe the discussions will focus on the development of priorities to reach out to a wider world, involving additional stakeholders and opinion leaders and also to develop innovative ways and perspectives for enhanced regional co-operation and future European integration.

In this way the conference reflects not only the new political situation in a Europe of Twenty Five but also takes into account ongoing discussions and perspectives of the Lisbon Strategy and the growing engagement of the countries of Southeast Europe in a Wider European Area of Education.

While stabilisation and reconciliation in South Eastern Europe was at the centre of the Zagreb summit of heads of state of the EU and SEE countries in 2000, the focus since then has clearly shifted: “The European Union reiterates its unequivocal support to the European perspective of the Western Balkan Countries. The future of the Balkans is within the European Union. The countries of the region fully share the objectives of economic and political union and look forward to joining an EU that is stronger in the pursuit of its essential objectives and more present in the world” (Thessaloniki Summit, 2003).

The speed of achieving EU membership may differ – Romania’s and Bulgaria’s aim is to gain EU membership in 2007, Croatia only recently received Candidate status and the Stabilisation and Association Process provides the remaining countries of the Western Balkans with a midterm framework – the goal itself is shared by all SEE countries.

Education and training systems have a key role in the European Integration process. Political developments worldwide, in Europe and on regional level have led to an economic, social and cultural environment, in which education and training play an even greater role in responding to the challenges of knowledge societies and globalisation.

Thus the European Council has concluded, that “the Union must become the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world capable of sustainable economic growth with more and better jobs and greater social cohesion”. (European Council, Lisbon, March 2000). In order to achieve this goal a fundamental transformation process in education and training is envisaged within the European Union. The Copenhagen Process, Education and Training 2010 and the Bologna Process have been developed as instruments of co-operation to support EU member states – old and new – in achieving the goals outlined in the Lisbon strategy.

Equally the Thessaloniki Agenda for the Western Balkans recognises the importance of education and training in SEE: ”In this respect, the role of education, social development and culture is essential in changing mentalities, promoting tolerance, ensuring ethnic and religious coexistence and shaping modern democratic societies.”

Education developments in South Eastern Europe vary greatly: over the last five years valuable reform efforts were undertaken by the respective education ministries and education institutions with the political, financial and know-how support of other key players of reform and substantial progress has been achieved. However, the development processes have also faced various challenges and limitations.

Above all, the role of education and training as an integral factor for economic development, social cohesion, innovation and cultural diversity is still not fully acknowledged by the political leadership and the general public, thus failing to provide a sufficient range of concrete measures and support for education development on national and European levels. On the other hand European Initiatives, such as the Bologna Process and “Education and Training 2010” have not only generated considerable interest in SEE, but have increasing influence on education systems in South Eastern Europe.

Initiatives such as the Education Reform Initiative of Southeast Europe (ERI SEE) clearly indicate the growing willingness to co-operate in this respect on both the regional and European levels. In this way ERI SEE emphasises the importance of regional ownership and leadership as targeted by the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe.

Given these changes in the overall framework the International Conference on “Governance and Education for Sustainable Development and European Integration” will offer a platform for the development of a comprehensive perspective at national, regional and European levels, which will enable education and training to target more clearly sustainable development for all by involving a wide range of stakeholders in this field.

C. South Eastern European Educational Co-operation Network (SEE-ECN)

http://www.see-educoop.net

The South Eastern European Educational Co-operation Network with its 10 nodes in the region is the information backbone of the Task Force Education and Youth/Enhanced Graz Process. It provides a virtual library of documents and other information for key actors in education, both on national, regional and European level.